Borrowed Hearts: Gundam Style
by Amaryills
Summary: COMPLETE!! Find out what happens with Heero's plan. Please read and review!!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was Thanksgiving, and many families were celebrating with traditional or nontraditional dinners. There was laughter and warmth in many kitchens and dining rooms all around America. Of course, there were people who could not celebrate the holiday. There was one person in particular who chose not celebrate Thanksgiving or any other holiday for that matter. Who could it be?

Heero Yuy sat in his office brooding over the new merger contract. Everyone else had already gone home to have Thanksgiving dinner with their families. Even his partners had left. They had plans unlike him. Duo Maxwell had a date. Trowa Barton was having dinner with his sister, Cathy. Wufei Chang...well...Wufei had his wife, Sally. They were both Chinese, but Sally was half-American. So, she roped Wufei into a Thanksgiving dinner. Heero Yuy didn't have any family left, wasn't married, and rarely dated. He preferred his own company. That and his cat, Ebony.

Heero tossed the thick stack of papers onto his desk and leaned back. He stretched out his arms and neck when he noticed a light through his window. He glanced at the clock. It was six. That was strange. He thought everyone had left at five. He left his office and went in the direction of the light. It was coming from one of the cubicles. He stopped when he heard a voice, a woman's voice.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'll be home right away, and then we can have dinner," the voice said. "Be a good little boy, and I'll see you later."

Relena Peacecraft hung up the phone and started to collect her work. Finally she picked up her purse and workbag and stood up. Relena walked out of her cubicle and almost instantly collided with something that felt like a boulder. She stumbled backward and would have fell if two strong hands didn't grab her. She felt herself being pulled forward, and when she opened her eyes and looked up, Relena gasped at what she saw. It was her boss, Heero Yuy, and he didn't look happy to see her.

"Are you all right?" Heero asked her.

Relena was surprised by the baritone voice and had to blink a few times. She gathered up her wits and backed away from him. From his frown, she knew that he wasn't in a happy mood. Then again when was he ever in a happy mood? God, she hoped that she wasn't in trouble. Everyone had been ordered to go home at five, and she was still here.

"Are you all right, Miss?" Heero asked again. He was puzzled with her expression. She looked frightened. "Miss?"

Suddenly Relena realized that he had asked her a question. What was it? Oh, yeah! "I'm fine, sir," she replied softly.

Heero was startled by her soft, musical voice. It was a beautiful sound. His frown deepened at the thought. "Why are you still here? I thought I told everyone to leave at five," he said in a harsher tone than usual and then crossed his arms.

Relena clutched her bags to her chest and swallowed hard. He was so intimidating with his tall stature and dark scowl. "I had some extra work to do, Mr. Yuy, so I stayed to finish it," she stammered. Oh, dear, was that stuttering voice hers? "But I'm leaving now."

Heero stared hard at the woman. She was a head shorter than he was. Her sandy hair was pulled back into a bun, and her aquamarine eyes were wide opened. It was too dark to see anything else. He smirked and uncrossed his arms. She thought that she was in trouble for staying late.

"Sir, may I go now?" Relena asked quietly. She didn't like that smirk on his face any better than his frown. Frowning meant displeasure, but smirks were more ambiguous.

"Yes, go on," Heero replied in the same harsh tone.

Relena let out an inaudible sigh of relief and gave him a very small smile. "Thank you, sir," she said and turned around. She started to walk away when he suddenly called out.

"Wait! What's your name?" he asked.

Relena tensed up but didn't look back. Instead, she just answered. "Relena Peacecraft," she replied hesitantly. She really hoped that she wasn't in trouble.

"Well, good night, Relena Peacecraft."

Relena let out another sigh of relief. By the sound of his voice, she figured she was all right. "Good night, Mr. Yuy."

Heero watched her leave and then let out a sigh of his own. He went back to his office and started looking over the contract again. For some reason, he couldn't concentrate. He kept thinking about that woman and the look of fear in her eyes. Heero knew that he wasn't exactly the friendliest guy around, but did she have to look at him as if he was a monster or something? But then again most if not all of his employees thought he was a monster. Not a cruel one but a cold, unfeeling one. He treated them with the respect they deserved, but he didn't befriend them like his partner, Duo Maxwell. Heero thought that it would be better if he maintained a strict employer-employee relationship with them. However, it earned him a reputation of being emotionless man. He glanced back at the contract and decided it was time to go home. It was six, and Ebony was waiting for her dinner. It would be best to go home. It may be Thanksgiving, but to Heero, tonight was like any other night. A lonely night by himself.

* * * * * *

Relena took off her coat and hung it up. She could smell the tantalizing aroma floating out of her kitchen. Suddenly the kitchen door swung open, and what looked like a ball of blue and blond hurled itself into Relena's open arms.

"Mommy, you're home!" exclaimed Evan Peacecraft, giving Relena a big hug. "What took you so long?"

"Your mother had to work, remember?" a deep male voice declared. Milliardo Peacecraft or Zechs by his friends came walking out of the kitchen with a towel over his shoulder. "Now get back in there and help out your aunts."

"Yes, sir!" Evan exclaimed again. He gave his uncle a salute and then went rushing back in with a speed that made Relena smile.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had some work to finish up," Relena exclaimed. She walked up and gave her brother a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, no problem. I only had to deal with a five-year-old bundle of energy namely your kid and two gossiping women," Zechs drawled, leaning against a table.

Relena shook a finger at him. "Watch your sarcasm, big brother. That's your nephew, wife, and my best friend you're talking about." She pushed open the kitchen door and was greeted by her sister-in-law, Lucrezia Noin (Lucy for simplicity) and her best friend since they were young, Hilde Schbeiker. Evan was setting the table in the corner.

"Hey, girlfriend. Dinner's almost ready. Have a seat," Hilde declared with a smile. She was a petite woman with short crop blue black hair and deep blue eyes. She owned a restaurant not too far from Relena's house.

"You know, that boss of yours isn't very nice keeping you at work on Thanksgiving," Lucy said with a slight frown.

"Lucy, I chose to stay. I had a little more work to finish, and my boss is actually very nice compared to others. I'm really sorry that I didn't make it back in time to help you guys," Relena stated and sat down with a thump.

Lucy wrapped an arm around Relena's shoulders and set down a cup of tea in front of her. "Hey, don't worry about it. You have enough on your plate what with your job and taking care of Evan."

"Beside, Lu, I know for a fact that her boss is one hot looking guy. Can't say much for his personality, but other than that-whoo!" Hilde explained, fanning herself with one hand.

Lucy laughed at Hilde's expression. "Is he really that good-looking?"

Suddenly Zechs cleared his throat to remind them of his presence. He crossed his arms and looked expectantly at Lucy.

She gave her husband a sweet smile and ambled over to his side. "But of course you, my love, are the best of them all." She leaned up to give him a kiss on the lips. All of a sudden Zechs caught her in his arms and gave her a long, passionate kiss. Hilde and Relena laughed out loud at the blatant show of passion.

"Eew! Yucky!" exclaimed Evan, covering his eyes.

Relena smiled at her son. "You're yucky. Now go wash up for dinner." She pointed in the direction of the bathroom. Once again, he shot off like a bullet.

Hilde had to grin at his extraordinary energy. Later on, the five of them sat down for Thanksgiving dinner. They gave thanks for the meal and started on their feast.

Somewhere not too far away from Relena's house, Heero sat alone at his dinner table with his "Thanksgiving" dinner. Behind him was Ebony happily enjoying her meal and didn't notice her master's dark expression.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.

Chapter 2

Thanksgiving came and went away, and soon people were getting excited for Christmas to come. Decorations were strung up on shops and on windows. Christmas trees sprouted up on empty lots for people to buy, and department stores were soon filled with shoppers. Many people caught onto the holiday spirit of joy and laughter. However, there was one person who wasn't very jolly at the moment.

"You're what?!"

Heads popped out of the cubicles when they heard the shout coming from Heero's office. They looked at each other and sighed. Their boss didn't sound too happy as if he ever was. They all shook their heads and resumed working.

"I'm taking a leave of absence," Wufei Chang repeated calmly. He looked at Heero straight in the eye. Wufei had never seen his friend like this. He usually kept his emotions under control, but now Heero's eyes flashed with anger, his mouth set in a firm line, and his hands clenched into fists.

"Sally and I have to go to China. My mother is ill and is demanding that the two of us go and take care of her," Wufei continued evenly.

"How long will you be gone?" Heero asked after taking a few deep breaths.

Wufei shrugged. "I'm not sure. She sounded terrible over the phone, but you know my mother, Heero. She tends to exaggerate things. It's probably nothing," he declared.

Heero didn't answer. As usual his impassive mask had settled back into place. He drummed his fingers on the desk as he stared at Wufei.

"Look, if you're worried about the merger, I already gave my work to Trowa. He has everything. You guys can handle it," Wufei reassured Heero. "Even with Maxwell onboard."

However, Heero wasn't exactly convinced. This merger was very important. There was no room for any mistakes. Duo was already due back from doing the overseas talking with the Winner Company. God, he hoped Duo did things right. Finally Heero sighed. "All right. Have a good trip. I hope your mother feels better," he said.

Wufei smiled his usual half smile. He got up and opened the door. Before he left, he turned around and said, "Don't worry, Yuy. We'll get this."

"What makes you so sure?" Heero asked, leaning back in his chair.

"We always do," Wufei reminded him. With that he was gone.

Later that day, Heero's phone rang while he was looking over the contract again. He pushed on the speakerphone and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Heero, guess who's back?" exclaimed a cheerful male voice over the phone.

Heero groaned to himself. The devil was back. "Duo, where are you?" he asked. "How did things go?"

"Come down to the courts, and I'll tell you everything," Duo replied.

"What?!"

"I seriously need a good game of ball. Those guys don't play there, and you know what deprivation does to me," explained Duo.

Heero sighed. He could feel a headache coming as he rubbed his temples. He did not need this right now.

"Heero, you still there?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," he muttered under his breath. Heero sighed again. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Thanks, buddy," Duo said happily and hung up.

Heero grabbed his cell phone and coat and stood up. He shook his head, seriously doubting his sanity at the moment. It was only the beginning of winter, but it still felt like twenty below zero. Heero headed out, telling his secretary that he'll back later. He drove down to the basketball courts at the nearby park. He found Duo already shooting baskets. He marched over and glared at him.

Duo stopped to catch his breath and tucked the ball under his arm. He gave Heero a merry smile and wiped his forehead with a towel. After doing that, he took a long drink from his water bottle. All the while, Heero stood patiently with his arms crossed and his customary glare.

"Well?" he practically shouted out.

"Whoa! Hold your horses. Everything turned out pretty much okay," Duo finally said. He threw the ball at Heero.

Heero caught it easily and glared at Duo even more. "Care to clarify that?" He shrugged off his coat.

For the next half hour, they played one on one with Duo explaining everything and Heero asking questions. Finally they stopped to rest. Duo was breathing hard, but Heero was barely out of breath.

"I definitely need to get back into back into shape," Duo huffed.

Heero couldn't hide his exasperation. "You were gone for only two weeks, Duo."

"Yeah, but you should have seen that place. Those guys really know how to live over there. I did absolutely nothing except talk and eat and stare at beautiful women all day," Duo explained with a wistful smile and sigh.

Heero shook his head and let out of a sigh of his own. "So everything is set?" he questioned, turning around to pick up his coat.

"Like I said, pretty much, but I did have to...improvise on a few things," Duo declared hesitantly.

"What things?" Heero growled, slowly turning back around. Suddenly his phone rang, saving Duo from having to answer. Heero threw a suspicious but deadly glare at Duo before answering his phone. "Hello? Mr. Winner, how are you?"

Duo looked at Heero expectantly. "What is it?" he mouthed.

"Yes, I understand. (Pause) You're welcomed to stay at my home. In fact, I'll be honored if you do," Heero continued as he settled back into his mask. "It would make our business easier if we did it face to face. Yes. (Pause) My family? What..."

Just then Duo grabbed the phone from a confused Heero. "Mr. Winner? It's Duo Maxwell, sir. Do you remember me? Of course you remember me. (Pause) Yes, Mr. Yuy and his family are very anxious to meet your son. (Pause) Yes, goodbye," Duo finished and hung up. Then he turned to Heero who was now scowling at him.

"What family was he talking about?" Heero asked in a mild tone that contradicted the dark scowl on his face.

"Like I said, I had to improvise on a few things. You see, Winner's a real family man kind of guy. He wasn't about to let his son do business with a guy without a family which is basically you," Duo hurried through his explanation.

"So you gave me a family!" Heero shouted. He was furious. He rarely shouted. In fact, he rarely lost his control. Right now he didn't care, and he looked as if he wanted to kill Duo.

"Hey, don't worry. I have everything figured out. We just have to make some changes," Duo declared earnestly. He started to walked back to his car.

Heero stared in frustration at Duo with his long braid swinging back and forth. Why was everyone telling him not to worry? Well, damn it, he couldn't help it. God, what was he going to do? His hands clenched together as Heero resisted the urge to pound his friend into the ground.

* * * * * *

A week later, Heero didn't want to pound Duo. Now, he downright wanted to murder him. To solve the "family" problem, Duo auditioned people to play Heero's family. Yet no one could play the parts. Most of them seemed to be afraid of Heero. Those who weren't could not play the happy family that Duo had told the Winners about. They were in trouble. The son of the Winner family was arriving tomorrow.

"I can't believe that there isn't one perfect family in this whole city," exclaimed Duo. He was so frustrated that he was ready to pull out the hair out of his head. He was sitting in Heero's living room with Heero and Trowa Barton, the fourth partner of Heero's company.

"It's your fault, Duo. You shouldn't have lied to them," Trowa said in his soft yet serious voice. He was leaning against the mantel of the fireplace.

Duo groaned and threw an arm over his closed eyes. "Don't lecture me, Barton. This is frustrating enough without your words of wisdom. Now help me think."

Heero was sitting in a chair in a dark corner. He had been silent since the last pair of actors had left. His hands were gripping the arms of the chair as he contemplated on how to kill Duo for getting him into this mess. No, killing him wasn't good enough. Finally Heero spoke up. In a low, deadly tone, slowly he said, "Duo, you find a way of this mess, or else I'll cut off that braid of yours." Heero knew how much Duo's braid meant to him. Duo would rather die than lose his braid.

Trowa smiled as Duo snapped open his eyes and jumped up. Duo started pacing in front of Trowa, knowing Heero's threat wasn't to be taken lightly.

A few blocks from Heero's house, Relena and Evan were going from house to house trying to raise money for a children's charity. It was a beautiful winter day. There was freshly fallen snow everywhere from the light storm last night. Evan was skipping ahead of Relena in a light blue jacket and winter pants. He had on white mittens and a matching white snowflake hat.

"Be careful, honey. The ground's still wet. You don't want to trip and fall, now do you?" Relena warned her son.

"Don't worry, Mommy. I'm a good skipper," Evan called over his shoulder. He continued skipping as Relena smiled after him. Her son was growing up. Thank goodness he didn't look like his father. Evan had her sandy colored hair only a shade lighter and her blue aquamarine eyes. Relena hurried to catch up with her son.

"Mommy, can I ask you a question?" Evan asked, slipping his hand into hers.

"Of course you can. You can ask me anything," Relena replied, giving him a big smile.

Evan kept his eyes on his boots as they continued to walk. He wasn't sure if he should ask. Last time he did, Relena had gotten very upset. Right now he knew she was waiting patiently for the question. "Why don't I have a daddy?" he asked quietly and stopped walking.

Somehow Relena knew he was going to ask that question. Evan may only be five, but he was very intelligent for his age at certain things. She sighed silently and then crouched down in front of him. She placed both hands on his shoulders and looked straight at him. "I told you all this before, don't you remember? I can understand why you want one. It was hard for me to grow up without my father. But remember, honey, you did have a father once. He just not here anymore. Do you understand, Evan?"

Evan nodded. "I understand, Mommy, but Aunt Hilde said that I could have another one if I wanted. She said that you could find one for me. Something about eating dinner with other boys other than Uncle Zechs."

"She said that, did she?" Relena said, raising an eyebrow.

Evan nodded again. "Uh-huh. So can we get a daddy?"

Relena got up and brushed the snow off her pants. "Evan, I'm afraid that it's not that simple. You don't just get one. It takes time and..." Relena stopped to think about how to finish her sentence.

"And what, Mommy?"

"And a miracle, I'm afraid," Relena continued. "And you know miracles are very rare. Now enough talk about that. We have work to do." She looked at the house that they had stopped in front of. "Let's try this house." She started up the front walk.

Evan followed her in silence. He looked down at the basket he was holding. Inside there were pamphlets with a picture of Santa Claus on the cover. Santa Claus! Evan smiled brightly. Santa would give him a daddy if he asked for one, and so far Evan knew he had been a good boy. So, he decided that this year he was going to ask Santa for a daddy. Evan skipped happily after Relena until they were on the front porch. Relena took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

* * * * * *

Inside the house Heero was getting extremely mad at Duo. He was out of the chair and pacing as well. Duo kept telling Heero everything would turn out all right. Heero growled angrily at Duo and headed toward his braided hair friend.

Duo swallowed hard and backed away nervously. "Uh, Heero, now don't do anything you'll regret," Duo stuttered, his hands shooting up in front of him. Heero was an inch away from him when all of a sudden the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" exclaimed Duo. He rushed to the door, thanking his Maker silently on the way. He pulled open the door, and his mouth dropped at the sight in front of him.

Standing in front of him was what looked like a pair of angels. A woman and a boy. Duo rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Nope, he wasn't. The woman was incredibly beautiful with long sandy hair and deep aquamarine eyes. The boy looked about the same. They were dressed in light blue clothes with white hats and mittens. The boy was smiling up at him. However, the woman looked shocked.

Relena couldn't believe it. One of her bosses was standing before her. Of all the houses she could have chosen, she chose one with her boss in it. What were the chances? "Mr. Maxwell," she whispered.

Then Duo realized the woman had spoken. His name in fact. "Do I know you, ma'am?" he asked, eyeing her carefully.

"I...uh...I work for you, sir. Or actually I work for Mr. Yuy," Relena replied nervously. "My name's Relena Peacecraft."

"Would you like to donate some money for charity?" Evan asked suddenly. He lifted up the basket for Duo to see. "It's for a good cause."

"Evan!" Relena exclaimed, horrified by her son's actions. She was so embarrassed, looking down at him.

"Did I say it wrong, Mommy?" Evan questioned innocently.

"Mommy?" Duo's mouth curved slightly.

"My son, Evan," Relena wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"If I remembered correctly, you're not married, are you, Ms. Peacecraft?" Duo asked, his smile widening.

"Um...no, sir," she replied, her brow drawing together slightly in confusion.

Duo's smile nearly split his face. A light bulb went on in his head. He wasn't going to die after all. "Ms. Peacecraft, there's something I want to talk to you about. Would you like to come in? It's really cold out here."

Evan accepted the invitation immediately. He rushed by Duo before Relena could stop him. "Thank you," he said over his shoulder.

Duo held open the door for Relena with a big smile. Relena wasn't sure if she should go in, but what choice did she have? Evan was already inside. So she took a deep breath and went in. Duo closed the door behind them. He ushered the pair into the living room.

Heero was talking with Trowa when he heard footsteps. Duo was back. He turned around, and his eyes widened at the sight. Duo was with a woman and a boy. In fact, it was that woman from the office!

"Heero, this is the solution to our problem," Duo announced. He gestured at Relena and Evan.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.

Chapter 3

Heero glared at Duo. "What are you talking about? Who are they and what are they doing in my house?"

Duo pulled Heero aside and started to whisper. While they talked quietly, Trowa regarded Relena and Evan carefully. A ghost of a smile spread across his usual stoic face as he listened to his friends. He had to admit that Duo's plan could actually work if they agreed. He glanced over when he heard Heero growled. Duo was smiling, and Trowa recognized the mischievous glint in Duo's violet eyes. He glanced back at Relena and Evan and wasn't surprised to see a look of worry in her eyes.

Relena glanced back and forth among her three bosses. She was in a house with three of her bosses in it. What was going on? She kept her hands on Evan's shoulders to keep him for fidgeting. She knew he was overwhelmed with curiosity at the moment, and Evan was. He smiled at the tall man when he looked at them. He was happy because there were three men here. His mom must be here to pick one of them to be his new dad, and she said it would take a miracle to get one. Evan liked the man with the braid and the tall one. The other one was frowning though. He didn't seem happy to see Evan and his mother. When Heero turned his hard gaze at Evan, Evan panicked and ran behind Relena's legs. He peeked around her leg.

"Excuse me, Mr. Barton? Why are we here?" Relena asked hesitantly after glancing down at Evan.

Before Trowa could answer, Duo turned around and gave her a big smile. "Ms. Peacecraft, we need your help and your son's."

"What kind of help?" she asked warily, placing a hand on Evan's blond head.

Heero growled at Duo again, but Duo just ignored him. "We want you two to be his family for the next few days," Duo replied, gesturing at Heero.

Relena couldn't help but let out a laugh as she felt the tension in the air evaporate. "He's joking, right?" she asked, smiling at Heero.

Heero had to sigh. "I'm afraid not."

Relena glanced at Trowa. He shook his head. Her smile faded. "What's going on here?" She looked at each man in the eye, demanding an answer. "Is your mother coming to visit or something?"

"We have a problem. You see, there's a business deal that requires your help. Duo, I mean Mr. Maxwell, made the mistake of telling the people whom we are working with that Mr. Yuy has a family," Trowa explained.

Duo grimaced under Trowa's soft, serious voice. He hated when Trowa talked like that. "Well, excuse me for being a mere mortal. I had to elaborate. The Winners deal only with families, and Heero doesn't have one," Duo said, defending himself.

"You didn't have to lie," Trowa declared.

"Look, forget about that," Duo shot back. He turned back to Relena and Evan. "Please, we really need your help. We'll even pay you. How about a thousand a day? I mean, you'll make more in the next few days than you will in a month."

Relena looked away while she thought about it. It seemed too good to be true, but can she throw this away? She could use the money for the down payment on the house that she had her eye on. The house that they are currently living was too small. If she did take the job, what was she going to tell her family and friends? Zechs wouldn't be very happy if he knew. Even though she was a grown woman with a kid, he was still protective of her. She looked back at Duo. "All we have to do is play his family? Nothing else?"

Duo nodded vigorously. "That's all. You won't to do anything else."

Evan glanced at the glowering man who certainly didn't look like he wanted a family. He didn't understand what was going on, but he could guess. Evan looked up at his mom and then back at the man. Suddenly Evan grinned. He knew what was going on! His mom was getting him a new daddy, and she said that it took a miracle to get one. The man didn't appear to be very friendly, but Evan didn't mind. He knew that he could make friends with the man. He made friends with everyone. Evan tugged on his mom's jacket to get her attention. "Mommy, do it! Do it, Mommy!"

Relena looked down with surprise at her son. She crouched down and stared at him. "Evan, do you understand what's going on?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Of course I do, Mommy!" Evan's little face scrunched up into a little frown. Then he smiled at her with those puppy dog eyes that she couldn't resist. "Please, Mommy?"

Relena couldn't turn down that look or the offer. She sighed and stood up. She gazed at the three men and nodded. "I'll do it."

"Yes! Oh, thank you! Thank you so much. You are an angel," Duo exclaimed. He had to refrain from hugging and kissing her.

"When do I start?" asked Relena.

"Tomorrow," Heero said suddenly. "Can you make it?" He walked up to Relena.

Relena thought about all the things she need to do, but the look on his face suggested she put those things aside. "Yes, I believe so."

"Good." Heero turned around and was starting out the room when he stopped. He glanced over his shoulder at Duo with a little smirk. "And, Duo, this better work."

"Don't worry, Heero. I guarantee this will work," Duo reassured his friend. It had, too. He did not like the look on Heero's face.

"Well, since you _guarantee_ it, there's really only one thing I have left to say," Heero stated mildly, starting to walk out again. He paused at the doorway. "Heaven help you if it doesn't." With that warning he left.

"You'll have to excuse my friend. As you can see, he isn't very happy with the situation," Trowa declared when he saw Relena's pale face. "But don't worry. He isn't always like that." Relena relaxed slightly at his words. "Just most of the time."

'Great,' Relena thought and glanced down at Evan. He was smiling as if nothing was wrong. She was going to have a hard time explaining this to everyone especially Zechs. He was not going to be very thrilled about it. "Come on, Evan. Say good-bye to these gentlemen. We have to go home now." She took his hand and led him to the front door.

"Can we expect you two bright and early tomorrow?" Duo questioned, opening the door for them.

"We'll be here, Mr. Maxwell." Relena walked out with Evan waving and saying good-bye to the two men.

* * * * * *

"Are you crazy!?"

Relena buried her head in her hands as she listened to Hilde rant. Luckily, Hilde had closed for the night. "Are you done, Hilde?"

The petite woman finally stopped and sat down in front of Relena. "Yes, I am. So again, are you crazy? You can't do this."

"Why not?" Relena looked up and stared at Hilde. "It's not illegal as far as I can tell, and I could really use the money. It'll be fine if it's just for a few days."

"Relena, if you need money, you can ask me. You can't pretend to be your boss' family. What's Zechs going to say? I'll tell you what he'll say and do. He's going forbid it, and he'll probably lock you up in a room for the rest of your life. Do you understand?" Hilde explained with a concern look.

"I understand, Hilde. I know you worry about me, but I'm not going to borrow money from you, and you're not going to tell my brother," Relena warned.

"I'm not?" Relena shook her head. Hilde sighed feeling incredibly frustrated. Sometimes Relena was too stubborn for her own good. "Then what are you going to tell your brother?"

Relena shrugged her shoulders. "I'll think of something."

"Well, I suggest you think of something fast because he's coming in right now," Hilde said, pointing behind her.

Relena whipped around to see her brother come into the restaurant. She couldn't keep from looking shock. What was she going to say?

"You look surprised to see me," Zechs declared, leaning down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Uh...I am surprised to see you," Relena stammered. Then she noticed he was full dressed in his military uniform. "Are you going somewhere, Milliardo?"

Zechs sighed. "Yes, unfortunately. Lu and I have been called in. We're leaving tonight for Moscow."

"Moscow? How long will you be gone?" Relena questioned. May be today was her lucky day.

"We won't be home until the next year, so I'm afraid we won't be here for Christmas or New Years. To make things worse, we can't call or email you at all," Zechs explained with an apologetic look.

"Why not? Oh, forget I asked. Government stuff, huh?" Relena smiled. "It's okay, Milliardo. I understand how important your jobs are."

Zechs smiled back. "Thanks. Now where's that little rascal of yours? I want to say good-bye." Suddenly the kitchen door burst opened, and a flour covered Evan came running out.

"Uncle Zechs!"

"Whoa! Hold on there, Frosty. You're going to get your uncle all dirty," Hilde exclaimed, catching Evan before he threw himself at Zechs.

Zechs stooped down until he could look at Evan. "Evan, Aunt Lucy and I have to go away for a while. I'm afraid, we won't be here for Christmas. I'm so sorry."

Evan's face fell. "Oh..." He didn't like it whenever his uncle and aunt left. "I had a secret to tell you, too."

Zechs chuckled and tweaked Evan's nose, causing some flour to fall off. "You can tell me later, squirt." He leaned in and in a loud enough whisper for everyone to hear, he said, "And to make up for not being here, your aunt and I will make sure to send lots of presents to you, okay?"

Evan brightened up at the thought of presents. "Okay!" Zechs grinned and walked over to Relena.

"Be careful, Milliardo and Lucy, too." Relena said, wrapping her arms around him. Zechs hugged her back.

"We'll be fine. See you next year," Zechs replied. He let go and gave them a salute. He headed for the door and before leaving he poked his head back in. "Oh, one more thing. Evan, take care of your mother for your aunt and me. Bye."

"Bye, Uncle Zechs!" Evan shouted. Zechs smiled again and left. The ringing bell marked his exit.

"Well, today must be your lucky day," Hilde stated, looking at Relena. "So are you really going to do this?"

"Yeah, I am, but don't tell anyone about this. I have to admit that I'm nervous enough," she replied. "I have this strange feeling it's not going to be easy."

"I could've told you that." Hilde sighed again. She took Evan by the shoulders and propelled him to the restrooms. "Come on, Frosty. Let's get you cleaned up so you can go home." Once inside she wetted a towel and wiped his flour covered face. "I don't think I should let you help Jerry anymore. Look at you. You're a mess." She dusted off the rest of the flour.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Hilde. I'll be more careful next time, please?" Evan smiled innocently up at her.

Hilde couldn't resist him anymore than Relena. She really had to learn how to say no to them. "I suppose. Really you're getting just to be like your mom." She turned around to get another towel.

"No, I'm not. I can't get a daddy by myself. I asked Santa for one, but now Mommy's going to get one for me, so Santa, if you can hear me, I don't need a daddy anymore," Evan said aloud.

Hilde whirled around and stared at Evan. "What did you say? What's this about a daddy?"

"Mommy's going to get a daddy for me," Evan said and looked up at Hilde with such sincerity that Hilde almost thought it was true.

"Evan, what make you say that?" Hilde had to sit down. She pulled him onto her lap.

"That man at the house said Mommy and me are going to be his family. Doesn't that mean he's going to be my daddy?" Evan asked.

Hilde was speechless, but then again from his point of view it did sort of look like that. "Oh, Evan. That man's not going to be your new daddy."

"But he said..."

"I know what he said. Evan, that man is your mom's boss, and she's helping him with something by _pretending_ to be his family," Hilde explained as best she could. Evan's eyes started to water, and he began to sniffle. "Oh, Evan, don't cry." Hilde reached over and grabbed the towel. She wiped away his tears. "It's okay."

"I wanted a daddy," Evan said in a quiet voice. "Everyone else has a daddy but me." He buried his face in her chest and wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Evan, do you really want one?" Hilde asked, pulling back so she could look straight at him. He nodded right away. She sighed. She couldn't really argue with him. She thought that Evan should have a father, too, but Relena was still wary of men. But then again...

"Evan, would you like that man if he was your daddy? He's not very friendly," Hilde stated.

"Of course I can. Mommy says I should like everyone even if they aren't very nice," Evan replied. He had stopped crying and was sniffing occasionally.

"Well, Evan, if you're extra nice to that man and you can get him to like you, then maybe an angel will grant you your wish," Hilde declared.

"Really? An angel can do that?" Evan asked with a smile.

"Oh, yes. Angels can do anything."

Evan thought it over. "But how will I know if an angel is here?"

"When you hear music, then you'll know because on earth they wear their wings on the inside," explained Hilde.

"Thanks, Aunt Hilde." Evan reached up and gave her a big hug.

"Let's get out of here before your mom starts wondering what happen to us," Hilde declared. She took his hand, and they walked back into the dining hall. She said good-bye to Relena and Evan and went in the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.

Sorry for those who have waited for my updates. I know it's been over a year, but I can't help it if life butts in when I don't want it to. I had to finish a hard senior year in high school, and then worry about starting college. Now that I'm in college I have more time for my fics...I hope. Well, here's chapter four.

Chapter Four

The next morning after breakfast, Relena and Evan headed off to Heero's house to start their "jobs." As Relena was driving there, she wondered what she would be expected to do, playing a wife to one of the wealthiest men in the city. She wondered if she could stand staying in the same room as Heero Yuy. She had to admit that she was a bit afraid of him. He wasn't exactly the most agreeable man in the world. Relena shook her head to clear the negative thoughts. What was she thinking? She already agreed to do this, so she had to try to get along with him. After all, they had to pretend to be a happy family. Relena sighed as she thought about Heero's dark scowl yesterday. This was going to take some work.

Evan sat quietly in the back, completely unaware of his mom's thoughts. He was thinking about what Hilde said. If an angel were going to come, then he would have to be really nice and cute. Hilde had reminded him this morning to listen for the music. What music?

"All right, honey. We're here," Relena said as she parked her car on the cobblestone driveway. They got out and walked up to the front door. A butler took their bags and led them to the living room where the men were waiting with a woman.

"Oh, you're here. Have a seat," Duo said. He gestured at the chair in front of the fireplace. Evan climbed up and smiled at Heero was sitting in the other chair. Relena smiled hesitantly at him, too. "Okay, let's go over a few things."

"What's there to go over? All they have to do is play my family for a few days until Winner leaves and that's all," Heero declared. He was already getting a headache, and the day just started.

"It's not that simple, Heero. Winner has to believe that you're a happy family man," Trowa reminded him.

Heero started to retort, but Relena interrupted. "Um, may I say something?" Duo nodded. "Well, if you want Mr. Winner to believe that we're a family, then you need a warm family like atmosphere."

"Such as?" Trowa prompted.

Relena gestured around her. "This house. It's beautiful, but it's very...cold and dark. I mean, if I was really Mrs. Yuy, I would put up a wonderful Christmas tree with homemade ornaments and have a roaring fire. Maybe scatter a few toys here or there. You know, to make it seem like this is a family house."

"Oh, I like it. I really like it. Let's do what she says, Heero," Duo replied with a big smile. "What else?"

"I brought some pictures," Relena answered and pulled them out of her purse.

"What do you think?" Heero asked the woman next to him who had silent.

The woman got up and looked over at the pair. She regarded Relena with a critical eye and sighed. "I suppose that I can something for them."

"Okay, let's get started," Duo exclaimed, clapping his hands.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind. The woman escorted Relena upstairs where a group of people was waiting. Relena had her hair, makeup, and nails done. The woman held up several fur covered dresses for Relena to see, but Relena said no furs. Then the woman had others, and Relena smiled. Evan had his own movie star treatment. He got new clothes and a new hair cut. A room was decorated for him with a train set, sports equipment, model airplanes, and lots of other toys. Relena directed more decorating throughout the entire house. The tree was put up, garlands strung over the mantle and stair rails, and houseplants in the corners of the house. The living room sofa was replaced with a big comfy couch, and stockings were hung over the fireplace.

Duo happily went along with everything. Heero stood by patiently with a dark scowl as he watched everything happen. Trowa patted Heero's shoulder once in a while and told him he could kill Duo later if this didn't work out. Heero only grumbled under his breath as he went off to talk to his staff.

"Okay, when do I come home?" Heero asked his maid.

"At six. You never miss dinner with your family," Annie replied.

"What's my wife's favorite dish?" he questioned his cook. When she looked at him blankly, he snapped, "Find out what it is. Are there any questions?"

"We aren't paid to ask questions, sir," Hawthorne, the butler replied. Heero nodded and told them to start dinner.

Duo and Trowa rehearsed important facts with Relena and Evan.

"All right, kid. Let's hear it," Duo declared as he stood next to Evan who was getting his hair cut. "Where did you go on your last family vacation?"

"Disneyland. Can really we go?" Evan asked.

"No, sorry. What else?"

"My daddy drives me to school everyday."

Trowa sat down with Relena while she was getting her hair and nails done. "How long have you been married?"

"Six years."

"Where did you go on your honeymoon?"

"We went Paris and Rome."

***

Soon the day drew to a close, and Mr. Winner was arriving at seven. Duo was looking out the window from upstairs and saw the limo pull into the driveway. "Winner's here!" he shouted. At seven on the dot, the doorbell rang. Duo rushed downstairs, tripping in his hurry and exclaiming, "Winner's here! Winner's here!"

Heero and Trowa met Duo in the large foyer while Hawthorne walked to the door.

"This better work," Heero warned Duo.

"It will. Wait! Wait!" Duo shouted again. "Don't open the door!" He reached into his pockets, and Hawthorne paused.

"What is it?" Trowa asked.

"The ring. Your ring," Duo replied, pulling out a wide gold band ring.

Heero grabbed it and slid it onto his finger. "Okay, now," he said to Hawthorne.

Hawthorne opened the door, and at the door was a handsome young man with blond hair and twinkling blue eyes.

Quatre Winner smiled and walked in. He handed his coat and hat to Hawthorne and asked, "And who might you be?"

"Hawthorne, sir."

"Any relation to the author?"

"I'm afraid not, sir."

Duo moved forward and shook Quatre's hand. "Mr. Winner, welcome to the Yuy home. It's so nice to see you again."

"And you, Mr. Maxwell," Quatre replied with a big smile.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir. I'm Heero Yuy." Heero extended his hand.

"Ah, Mr. Yuy, thank you for your kind invitation, and please call me Quatre. Mr. Winner makes me sound old. I'm no older than you are, I'm sure," Quatre declared, shaking Heero's hand.

"Of course, and call me Heero. This is our other partner, Trowa Barton," Heero said, gesturing at the silent man next to him.

"Welcome," Trowa said.

"Thank you," Quatre replied. He turned to Heero and added, "I really am grateful for you letting me stay with you and your family."

"It's no problem. We're glad to have you," Heero said as graciously as he could while mentally glaring at Duo.

"Yes, and oh, that's must be your lovely family," Quatre exclaimed, looking up at the top of the stairs.

Heero's eyes widened as he gazed up at the pair. He couldn't believe it. Evan was dressed in a white dress shirt and dark blue dress pants with his hair slicked back. He was smiling brightly while he held onto Relena's hand, and Relena...oh, she had to be a dream. With the soft light surrounding her, it looked like she had a halo on the top of her hair, which was curled and piled, on top of her head. A few curls had escaped and now gently caressed her face. She was wearing a sleeveless white turtleneck sweater and a long black skirt. She had a soft smile as she gazed down at them.

Duo's mouth had dropped open when he saw them. They looked incredibly! 'Now that was the perfect wife and kid,' he thought as he watched them come down.

Trowa had a similar reaction, but he kept his mouth shut and had his own thought. 'This might really work.'

"How do you do, Mr. Winner? I'm Relena Yuy," Relena said with a confidence that surprised even her and extended her hand.

"Enchanted, madam," Quatre said softly, lightly kissing her hand. "And please call me Quatre."

"And this is our son, Evan," Relena declared, looking down and touched his shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Winner," Evan said, making a small bow.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Evan," Quatre replied, smiling down at the adorable boy. "You are a very lucky man, Heero, to have such a beautiful wife and son." He turned to Heero who was still looking and feeling a little shocked.

"Uh, yes, I am," he replied softly as he watched Relena from behind his bangs.

"Some drinks before dinner?" Relena suggested and took the arm Quatre offered. They followed the men into the living room with Evan trailing behind.

Suddenly he heard soft music and glanced up. It looked like the crystals of the chandelier were moving and making music. Evan's eyes widened. "Mommy, did you hear that?" Relena didn't reply, and Evan gazed after Quatre. The music had started when he passed under the light and stopped when he went into the living room. 'Is Mr. Winner an angel?' Evan wondered. 'But Mommy didn't hear the music.'

"You have a lovely home, madam," complimented Quatre, looking around. "Very warm and inviting."

"Thank you," Relena blushed slightly.

Heero watched with fascination as if he never saw a woman blush before. Trowa watched Heero carefully with a mysterious smile, his green eyes narrowing slightly. 'Interesting,' he thought.

"Dinner is served," Hawthorne then announced.

***

Dinner was served and finished. Hawthorne brought out a huge dessert cake. Evan exclaimed about how he could it the whole thing. Everyone had smiled at his comment. Hawthorne served everyone, and soon Quatre sat back contently.

"That was a wonderful dinner," he said, "The best I've ever had in a long while, in fact."

Relena smiled until Quatre added, "I must say it is always nice to hear how couples get together. How did you two meet?" He looked at Relena then Heero.

There was a moment of silence before Duo gave a hesitant laugh. "It was a strange thing, wasn't it, Heero? I remembered not believing you when you told me."

"Yes, come on, Heero. Do tell," Trowa said, putting in his two cent. He was smiling, and he rarely smiled. He wondered how Heero was going to pull this off.

Heero had to stop himself from glaring at the two men. He glanced over at Relena who was clutching her wineglass a little too tightly. She was staring back at him. Suddenly he smirked. "Why don't you tell? You always tell it best, _darling_."

If Relena didn't know better, she could have swore that she saw amusement in his eyes. And what was with the endearment? She glanced at Quatre who was waiting patiently. "Well, it was...uh..."

"An angel got them together," Evan suddenly chirped out, rescuing Relena from having to say anything.

"Really? An angel?" Quatre questioned with avid curiosity. "How?"

Everyone turned to look at Evan who sat there eating his cake. Heero tensed up as he watched Evan closely as did the others.

Evan swallowed his cake, consciously aware of everyone's eyes on him. "An angel wanted my mommy to be happy, so he helped her. Mommy didn't know because on earth angels wear their wings on the inside."

"Interesting," Quatre commented. Heero couldn't agree more.

"Uh-huh. Mommy went to a place to eat dinner with someone named Jim. She was waiting by the door when she heard the door open and thought, 'It's him. Not Jim, the man I'm meeting, but the man I'm going to marry. So Mommy met Daddy, got married, and had me," finished Evan, happily.

Everyone sat in wonder at the story especially Quatre. "Amazing! Is that how it really happened?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's how it happened," Heero replied a little too quickly.

"And it's been a wonderful six years," Relena added. Then Evan yawned, once again saving Relena from having to talk. "Okay, dear, it's past your bedtime. Let's go." She got up and took his hand. She paused and said, "Evan, say goodnight to your father."

Heero sat very still as Evan said goodnight and gave him a hug. "Um, goodnight, Evan." He watched Relena take Evan upstairs, feeling rather strange.

Duo and Trowa took their leave right after that. Duo gave a thumbs up to Heero and a grin before he left. Heero groaned silently as he walked upstairs. He found Quatre in his library.

"An impressive library you have, Heero," Quatre declared, gazing around.

"Please take a book to bed if you wish," Heero said as he loosened his tie. Quatre thanked him. Heero turned around and saw Relena heading toward her room. He rushed to her side and turned her to his room. Relena was surprised until she saw Quatre standing in the library. She smiled at Heero.

Quatre saw them and said goodnight. They replied and with him still standing there watching them, they had enter Heero's room.

"That was quickly thinking," Relena said when they were inside.

Heero just grunted and leaned against the door. It had been a long day, too long. Several seconds passed when Relena said she needed to go back to her room. Heero seemed surprised to hear her voice and pushed himself off the door. Relena smiled at him and opened the door. She was about to walk out when she saw Quatre sitting in the library. She quickly shut the door and looked at Heero.

"He's still out there," Relena explained.

"What?" he groaned in frustration. He slowly peeked out the door, saw Quatre, and shut it quietly. He looked at Relena who was standing there, just waiting. He looked out again and had to shut the door when he saw Quatre starting to look over his shoulder. "Why doesn't he just go to bed?"

"Mr. Yuy, what are we going to do now?" Relena asked.

Heero growled under his breath. He couldn't risk letting Quatre see Relena walk back to her room. After all, they were supposed to be married, and married couples slept together. "You'll sleep here tonight." He walked into his bedroom, pulling off his tie. "The bed is big enough for the both of us."

"Mr. Yuy, that won't be appropriate," Relena said sharply. "Evan is a very impressionable young boy. If he walks in here at night and saw us together, you're going wish you've never had a family, real or fake."

Heero eyed her with irritation and a bit of surprise. He hadn't expected her to speak so harshly. She always seemed so soft and gentle, and here she was staring right back at him. "I'll sleep in the closet," he heard himself say. He handed her some clothes to sleep in when she told him she needed some. Then he made sure he used the bathroom first since he didn't want to wait all night for her. Finally he could go to sleep. He went to his walk in closet and selected a jacket to use as a blanket.

Silence filled the room as Relena snuggled under his warm covers. She felt a little guilt for making him sleep on the cold floor. "Are you all right in there?" she felt compelled to ask.

"No," he replied sarcastically, staring up at the ceiling. "Is my bed comfortable enough?"

"Mmm, very," Relena answered with a smile, snuggling deeper under the cover. "Goodnight."

"Yeah, goodnight," Heero sighed to himself. It was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam or Borrowed Hearts.

Note: This story will deviate from the plotline of the movie a lot because in the movie there is an ex husband and the kid is supposed to get the mom and ex husband back together with the help of an angel. In my story there is no ex husband and Evan is trying to get his mom and Heero together with an angel's help.

'thoughts'"speaking"

Chapter Five

Evan sat at the bottom of the stairs, feeling downright sad. Mr. Winner had left so that meant he and his mom were leaving, too. However, Evan knew that they couldn't leave. He didn't see an angel, and he hasn't gotten a dad yet. So he sat there with a miserable expression when Heero walked in with Relena.

"Can you take my bags to my car, Hawthorne? Thank you," Relena said. Hawthorne nodded and carried her bags to the door. She turned to Heero who was standing next to her. "Well, it's over."

"Yeah," Heero replied dryly.

Relena took off the ring and handed it to Heero. "So how did it feel to be a family man?" she asked.

"Absolutely terrifying," he answered, taking the ring. However, his mind thought, 'But it wasn't so bad, was it. You kind of liked it. Admit it.' Heero sighed silently. He did like it.

Relena was surprised when she thought she saw amusement flicker in his eyes. This was the second time she thought that. Was she starting to see things?

"Mommy, we can't leave yet," complained Evan. He tugged on her sleeve. "We just can't." Relena crouched down and explained that it was time to go home. Evan pouted and stomped upstairs to get his coat.

Relena started to turn away when suddenly the front door opened, and Duo walked back in with Quatre Winner. Heero's eyes widened and quickly and discreetly thrust the ring back into Relena's hands. She turned her hands away and slid the ring back on without anyone noticing.

"Heero, Quatre decided to stay until the negotiations are completed," Duo explained as they walked up to Relena and Heero. He looked pointedly at Heero who had to stop himself from glaring at Duo.

"It will mean that I will have to stay until Christmas. I don't want to impose," Quatre declared with a sheepish grin.

Heero shook his head, smiling a smile he hoped didn't look like it was forced. "You're welcome to spend the holidays with us. Now if you could excuse us, my wife and I need to talk to the cook."

As Relena and Heero started to walk away, Quatre spoke up. "Mrs. Yuy, I noticed your luggage." He gestured at the bags with Hawthorne. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Oh, no, that's...uh...for charity," explained Relena quickly. "Could you take care of that, Hawthorne?"

"Yes..." Hawthorne said, looking rather confused.

Inside the kitchen, Heero pulled Relena aside and made sure the servants weren't listening.

"Our deal was for two days," Relena reminded him.

Heero ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He didn't want to continue this charade anymore than she did, but he had to despite the risk of Quatre finding out Relena and Evan weren't his wife and son. Besides, he didn't like the strange feeling he had whenever he was near her. If he didn't know better, he would have called it attraction, but unfortunately, he did. He was attracted to her, and damnit she was an employee, too. Again Heero sighed silently. He really didn't need this now. "I'll pay you. How's $5000?" he blurted out abruptly.

Relena thought about the house she wanted to buy and decided to risk it. "Ten."

"Ten?!" he shouted outraged. Then he glanced over his shoulder to see the servants looking at them avidly. They quickly ducked their heads down at his frown. He took a deep breath and said, "Ten? No way."

Relena shrugged and turned away. Heero pulled her back and suddenly smirked at her. If he had to be near her for the next few weeks, he was going to do this his way. Relena didn't know what to make of his sudden amusement, and this time she knew she wasn't seeing things.

"All right. Ten, but you have to stay until Winner leaves," Heero declared. 'Maybe by then I can get you out of my system.' He looked at her expectantly.

"Fine, but Mr. Yuy, I have to make sure I'll still have a job when this is over," Relena said.

"You'll be taken care of," assured Heero. "And call me Heero." Relena nodded and left the kitchen. Heero rubbed his forehead and groaned.

Upstairs, Evan saw Quatre's things being put back into his room and jumped for joy. "Do you see that, Ebony?" he asked the cat who was cleaning her paws. He crouched down and stroked her head. "Mr. Winner's staying." Ebony purred and rubbed against his hand. "Do you think he's an angel, Ebony?" She just purred again, and Evan smiled. He was going to find out.

***

The next day Heero was in his study, looking over legal documents when laughter interrupted his thoughts. He sighed and concentrated harder. The laughter sounded again. He dropped his pen and frowned. He walked out and looked over the railing. His eyes softened as he watched the scene below him.

The fire was blazing in the fireplace. Evan was playing Twister with Quatre who was smiling and laughing. He was leaning back on the couch. He had discarded his business suits and was wearing a sweater and slacks. Evan was poised in a ridiculous position as he waited for the next command. Relena was making popcorn over the fire and smiling at her son. Heero's eyes settled on her as he relaxed and leaned against the railing. Her hair looked like strands of gold against the flickering fire. Her eyes sparkled like sapphires. Her face glowed with the love she had for her son. Heero's gaze dropped to her lips, soft, pink, luscious, and entirely kissable. He straightened up so quickly that he felt his neck cracked.

'Whoa! Stop right there. She's an employee, remember? An employee. An employee. An employee.' Heero closed his eyes and repeated the thought over and over like a mantra. Still, he found himself opening his eyes and looking at her again. 'But a very, very beautiful employee.' He watched her laugh when Evan tried to position his body for his next turn and failed. He liked what he saw. A warm, comforting sight. His family. Heero closed his eyes again to clear that thought. They weren't his family, and he felt his heart tighten.

Quatre looked up at that moment and saw the anguished expression on Heero's face. His heart went out to him. It was sad to see a man like Heero alone in his life. Relena and Evan were exactly what he needed. 'I wonder if he knows it.'

"Heero, come down at join us," Quatre exclaimed all of a sudden.

Heero's eyes snapped open and looked back down at them. Evan repeated the statement. Heero stepped back and shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm not...uh...very good at games."

"It isn't about winning," Relena spoke up suddenly. She smiled up at him, and Heero swallowed hard. "It's about having fun."

"Yes. Life isn't all about work, Heero," Quatre added. Heero just shook his head again and walked away.

Evan sighed and looked at his mom. "Come on, Mommy. It's your turn."

Relena smiled and turned back to the popcorn. "No, thanks, honey."

"Why not? Afraid of having some fun?" Heero appeared out of nowhere and had on a small smile. His smile widened when Relena looked up in surprise. He rolled up his sleeves and waited.

Relena didn't exactly know what to make of this. She looked at Heero who was just standing there as if he was challenging her. This wasn't the Heero Yuy that she knew, the one who was cold and unfeeling. She smiled back. She liked this one better.

~

"Right foot red," Evan said after the dial stopped spinning.

"What?!" Heero groaned. He was in a somewhat dangerous position. He would have to stretch his leg so it wouldn't hit Relena. She was in a more relaxed pose. "All right. Watch this." Heero slowly drew his leg back and slowly turned it to the red dots. Relena watched and turned her body slightly so he could maneuver his leg. Heero successfully planted his foot on a red dot and smiled triumphantly. "There."

"Okay, Mommy, your turn," said Evan. He spun the dial again. "Right hand green."

Relena slowly moved her hand to the green dot and ended up very close to Heero. She couldn't help gazing into his eyes since their faces were so close that they almost touched. 

"All right. Give me an easy one," Heero insisted after he dropped his eyes down from hers. Evan said it was left hand yellow. "No problem." He moved his hand to the yellow dot.

For Relena, it was right hand red. She tried to move her hand behind her, but she started to sway precariously. She tried to steady herself, but she ended up knocking Heero down. Evan started to laugh as well as Heero. Relena blushed since she landed on top of Heero's chest.

"I won," laughed Heero. He put his arm around Relena's waist to help her sit up. He noticed her blush even harder. Heero couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked when she blushed and how she didn't pull away when he touched her.

Relena knew she couldn't pull away with Quatre looking at them. She could feel her face burning up at Heero's touch. What was wrong with her? She rarely blushed. Relena noticed that he didn't release her probably because Quatre was looking. Before she knew it, Relena had leaned back against Heero. She felt his arm tighten around her. She turned her head up to look at him. She didn't realize it before, but he had beautiful eyes, dark Prussian blue ones, and now they were looking at her intensely.

"Did you have fun?" she asked softly.

Heero took in her gentle smile and felt his heart tighten again, but this time it was different. He nodded and replied just as softly. "Yeah."

Quatre was silent as he watched them. He had on a small mysterious smile. If the others were paying attention to them, they would notice how his eyes twinkle as he gazed at them. Evan was delighted as he watched his mom and Heero. It seemed to him that they had forgotten he and Quatre were there. He sneaked a glance at Quatre, and his eyes widened when he heard music again. The music was soft and melodious. Quatre suddenly turned and winked at Evan. Evan just stared back.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Borrowed Hearts.

Chapter Six

A few days later, Heero returned home after a long and exhausting day. He went to his study and threw his briefcase onto his desk. He loosened his tie and sat down. Closing his eyes, Heero was grateful that Duo and Trowa were taking Quatre out for dinner. He didn't think he could pretend to be a perfect husband and father tonight. He was about to drift off to sleep when a laugh made him open his weary eyes. He saw Ebony ran into the room with Evan not far behind.

Ebony jumped onto Heero's desk, her tailing whipping back and forth until it knocked over a container of pens. Evan tried to catch the cat, but she jumped away again. This time she landed on an end table and again knocking over a pile of papers. Evan skidded to a stop when the cat decided to climb up the bookcase. All the while Heero sat there staring at them. He then stared at the mess on the floor and something inside him snapped. He didn't even notice Relena coming in.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted. He stood up and pointed at the mess. "Look at what you've done!"

Evan's smile faded as he looked up at Heero. His bottom lip started to tremble. His wide eyes looked distinctly teary. Evan let out a wail and ran from the room.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Relena exclaimed, marching up to Heero. "You have no right to yell at my son!"

"Your son is in serious need of discipline!" Heero barked back. He didn't even think about what he was saying, not with the fury that was filling up in him.

Relena couldn't believe it. He yelled at her. With her eyes blazing with anger and loathing, she took a deep breath before she replied. "He is my son, and I will discipline him my way. If you can't handle that, then we're through."

Her words suddenly pierced through Heero's cloud of rage. He watched her silently pull off the wedding ring and slam it down on the desk. He stared after her as she marched away from. Heero glanced back at the ring, and then it clicked in his mind. He had lost complete control of himself. Heero groaned aloud and sat back down. He could hear her words echoing in his mind.

'We're through...we're through...we're through...'

He dropped his head into his head and groaned again. He felt his heart tighten once more at her words. "What's wrong with me?" he whispered to himself. He looked up and stared at the ring again. Guilt and regret were swarming through him, and he didn't like it one bit. "I need some air."

Heero got up and started to walk out when he glanced at the ring again. He picked it up and shoved it into his pocket. Picking up his coat, he headed out. A few hours later he ended back at his house, cold, tired, and feeling even worse. He knew what he had to do.

****

Back at Relena's house, she was tucking Evan into bed, still angry with Heero for shouting at her son. Evan was upset, too because they had to leave Heero's house. He knew that they had to stay there if he was going to get a dad. Now everything had gone wrong. Evan had to fix this.

"Mommy, I didn't mean to make a mess. I was just playing with Ebony. I'm sorry I made Mr. Yuy mad," Evan apologized, looking and feeling very contrite.

"It's okay, sweetie. It wasn't your fault," assured Relena.

"But we had to leave," he added.

Relena smiled and gave him a kiss. "Don't worry about it." Then the doorbell rang suddenly. "Go to sleep." She gave him another kiss and went out to answer the door. She opened it and saw Heero standing on her front porch. She tried to close it quickly, but Heero stuck his foot in to block it.

"Relena, wait. I came here to apologize," he said quickly. "Please."

"Not to me. To Evan," Relena demanded. She let him in after he nodded. She led the way to Evan's room. "Evan, honey. Mr. Yuy is here to say sorry. Will you let him?"

Evan nodded, and Heero walked. He looked around, feeling rather uncomfortable in a little boy's room, before he sat down next to Evan.

"Evan, I am very sorry that I yelled at you. I had a bad day, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" Heero pleaded.

"Well..."

"What do I have to do to get you to forgive me?" asked Heero. He tried to look as willing as possible.

Evan looked up slowly and asked, "Can I have a puppy?"

Heero smiled at his wistful tone. "Sure, but you have to ask Ebony first. She doesn't really like dogs. So you forgive me?"  


Evan nodded again and grinned. "Does this mean we can come back?"

Both of them glanced at Relena who was leaning against the doorframe. Relena could help but smile at their hopeful face. "Yes, it does."

Evan jumped out of bed with joy and rushed off to get dressed. Relena and Heero went to wait in the living room. "I should apologize to you, too," Heero declared after an awkward silence. "I lost my head, and that doesn't usually happen. It shouldn't have happened at all at this point. This deal is far too important to company for me to risk it by angering you. I'm sorry."

Relena just smiled again. "It's okay, Heero. I guess I can't expect you to be like a snowman all the time."

Heero blinked. "A snowman? Is that how you see me?"

Relena suddenly felt uneasy and started rearranging the picture frames on a nearby table. She kept her eyes down when she answered him. "Well, that is the general opinion among us employees."

"But now you have the benefit of seeing behind closed doors," reminded Heero. For some strange reason, he didn't like Relena thinking of him as a cold, indifferent man.

"Yes." She turned and glanced up and down at him. Feeling a bit brave all of a sudden, she grinned at him. Relena could see that he didn't know what to make of her smile. "You're definitely more man than snowman if you can lose control like the rest of us."

Heero felt relief wash over him. He didn't understand why he felt relieved that Relena thought more of him, but he was all the same. He looked around and saw paintings hanging all over the walls. "Did you paint these?" He moved over to one to look at it more closely when she nodded. "They're good. Very good. Did you ever think about doing this professionally?"

Relena gazed out the window and wrapped her arms around her as the memories came back. It had started to snow softly again. "I wanted to go abroad to study in Pairs when I was in college, but I met Evan's father, Terry, and well, I got pregnant. Things had to change."

"Mind if I ask where he is?" Heero questioned quietly.

Relena shook her head. "When I told him I was pregnant, he left. Now that I look back it, I kind of knew that would happen. He was that kind of man, you know. Anyway, a few months before Evan was born, Terry was killed in a car accident. I was told it was a drunk driver."

"I'm sorry." Heero didn't know what else to say.

She shook her head again. "Don't be. It doesn't matter now. I'll make sure that Evan will have everything he needs."

Heero was about to say that Evan still needed a father, but he closed his mouth, remembering he had no right to say so. Then Evan rushed in all dressed, exclaiming, "Let's go home."

His words struck a chord in Relena's heart. Evan looked so excited to go back to Heero's house. She glanced at the man to gauge his reaction. She was surprised to see a tender, contented smile on his face. 'Why does he look glad to see us come back? Shouldn't he look relieved instead? I mean I know he needs us to pretend to be his family, but still why look so happy?'

Evan was impatient to leave. He tugged on Heero's hand. "Come on. Let's go," he begged.

"Do you need to pack again?" Heero asked, shaking Relena out of her reverie. She said no and went to her room to retrieve the bags that were still there.

Fifteen minutes later they arrived back at Heero's house, and Relena and Evan settled in again. Thankfully Quatre wasn't back yet, so they were safe.

"Goodnight, Mommy," Evan said later on. He yawned and pulled the covers over him.

"Goodnight, dear," Relena replied. She turned off the light and gently shut the door. She went downstairs to the kitchen where Heero was brewing some tea.

He was filling the cups when she walked in. "Everything all right?" he asked, handing her one steaming cup.

Relena took a sip before answering. "Yeah." Silence descended on them. They stood there, drinking their tea until she spoke up again. "You know, you were lucky tonight. It was a good thing that the others took Quatre out for a night on the town." She picked up her mug and walked out to the living room. Heero followed, settling down on the sofa. Tucking her legs under her, Relena sat down on the floor in front of the sofa. "What do you think they're doing right now?" she asked.

Heero groaned and laid down the couch, his head near hers. "With Duo, anything is possible."

Relena turned around at his worried tone and stared at him. "You don't think anything will happen, do you?"

Heero shook his head. "Trowa's with them. He'll make sure things go right." Feeling very mischievous suddenly, he turned to face her and propped his head up on his hand. "Trowa is much saner than Duo most of the time. Of course, he does have his own moments if he drinks too much. I remember when Duo threw Wufei a bachelor party, Trowa wasn't exactly his refined self," Heero declared and smirked at her.

"Really? I can't imagine him being anything but his normal self," she said.

"Oh, yeah. Trowa can really party," he added, seeing how she believed him.

Relena was about to reply when she noticed the playful glint in his eyes. She could see the laughter dancing in them. "Are you teasing me?" she asked, her hand curling around the floor pillow next to her.

Heero shrugged and said, "Maybe." His smile grew wider.

Relena took that as a yes, stood up, and smacked him with the pillow, not caring that she was hitting her employer.

"Hey!" Heero got up to block the next hit with his arm. He made a grab for the pillow, but Relena laughed and danced away before he could grab it. "No one hits me and gets away with it," he warned.

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it?" Relena teased him. She was near the fireplace and waved the pillow in front of her, ignoring the dangerous look in his eyes.

Heero growled and lunged for her. Relena quickly dashed in front of the sofa, narrowly dodging him. "Missed me," she laughed.

He lunged again, but this time Relena backed up and forgot that the sofa was behind her. She dropped the pillow and down she went. Heero grabbed her before she fell back, but he, too, tripped, and together they landed on the sofa with Relena on top of him.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed. Relena scrambled to get off of him, but Heero held on to her. "Oh, no, you're not going anywhere until I get my revenge." Relena tried hard not to blush; however, it wasn't easy with her laying on top of him and his arm around her waist. Heero laid there content to watch her face grow redder. Then a devilish thought came to him. "Relena..."

Relena grew stiff at his quiet voice, her face against his shoulder. 'Now what?'

"Are you ticklish?" he asked, a smile forming on his face. He heard her soft gasp, and she tried to pull away again, but Heero started tickling her sides.

Soon laughter was bubbling out of her. "No, stop!" she cried over her laughing. Still, Heero held on as she squirmed to escape his fingers.

Heero became fully aware of her wiggling on top of him. He could smell her fragrance and feel the heat from her body. Desire suddenly rocked him, and he stopped tickling her. His hands settled back on her waist.

Completely forgetting that she was laying on him, Relena tried to catch her breath. When she could talk, she pulled up and said, "That was not..." She stopped when she saw Heero staring at her with those intense eyes. She noticed that they had darken to a deeper blue. Her lips suddenly felt dry, and her tongue swept out to moisten them.

Heero's gaze immediately dropped down to her lips, and his breathing sped up. His hand came up and touched her hair. 'So soft,' he thought as he felt the golden strands. He looked up again at her wide eyes. "So beautiful," he whispered. He slowly brought her head down.

Relena couldn't stop herself as all thoughts flew out of her head at his words. Her eyes gradually closed, and she felt his warm lips just barely graze her own. She sighed and leaned in a little closer.

Heero brushed her lips again as his eyes closed, too. He was about to deepen the kiss when suddenly he heard the front door opened, and his eyes snapped opened.

Relena had heard the door, too, and she pulled away as quickly as she could. She stood up and moved aside. She couldn't believed what just happened. Heero sat up and tried not to look at her. He couldn't believed what happened either. No one said a word. After all what could they say? They both jumped a little when Quatre walked in.

"Hello," he greeted them. He stopped when he noticed their troubled looks. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?"

"No!" they both exclaimed.

Quatre was taken back at their forceful tone. Relena saw that despite the embarrassment she was feeling. "I mean, we were...uh...just talking. Did you have a good time?" she asked, settling back into her role. Heero didn't say anything.

"Yes, I did," he replied, noting Heero's silence.

"Well, why don't you two talk some more? I think I'll go to bed," Relena declared. "Goodnight." She quickly left the room and went upstairs.

"Is everything all right?" Quatre questioned. He sat down next to Heero who was still being very quiet.

Heero forced himself to reply. "Of course. So what did you like our city? I hope they didn't do anything too crazed," Heero said, settling back into his role, too.

Quatre went on to tell Heero everything he had did with Duo and Trowa. All the while he noticed Heero's dark expression. 'I wonder what happened,' he thought to himself.

Upstairs in her bathroom, Relena splashed cold water on her face and tried to calm down. She looked at herself in the mirror and groaned. Her face was still flushed, and her eyes were still glowing. "What were you thinking, girl?" she said to her reflection. "You kissed him. You actually kissed your boss." Relena sighed miserably. "And you liked it, too."

'What am I going to do?' she thought, closing her eyes and shaking her head.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Borrowed Hearts.

Chapter Seven

The next morning there was an unusual silence at breakfast. Both Relena and Heero looked tired and withdrawn. Quatre noted this and really wondered what had happened. He hoped they didn't have an argument. It would be sad to see things fall apart now. They seemed to have gotten closer over the past few days.

'How do two people who are opposites of each other come together? I truly wish to see them be a family when this is all over,' thought Quatre. He sighed silently.

Suddenly Evan heard soft, twinkling like music, and he looked up from his breakfast. He glanced over at Quatre who appeared to be lost in thought. The music continued when Quatre looked back at Evan and smiled. Evan thought he saw Quatre's eyes sparkling. He rubbed his own to make sure. He looked at Quatre again, but the music had stopped, and Quatre was back to his old self.

"Evan, is something wrong?" Relena asked when she noticed her son rubbing his eyes. "Are you tired?" She was concerned that all the moving around last night had worn him out. It had certainly caused her to lose sleep when she thought about what happened.

"Mommy, did you hear that?" questioned Evan. He had to make sure. After all, Aunt Hilde had said angels appeared when he could hear music.

"I didn't hear anything," she replied.

Evan turned to Heero who shook his head. He went back to his food, feeling down. Why was he the only one who could hear the music? Was it because he was the only one who thought Quatre was an angel? Evan still needed proof. But what kind of proof?

Later on when Heero and Quatre had left for the office, and Relena was downstairs, Evan snuck into Quatre's room. "Shhh!" Evan whispered to Ebony who meowed as they crept inside. "Quiet, Ebony." He moved over to the big bed and lifted up one of the pillows. His eyes widened as he stared at the white feather laying there. He picked it up with his mouth wide open. Then Annie came in with a vacuum, and he rushed to show it to her.

"Evan, what are you doing in Mr. Winner's room?" she asked, setting down the vacuum.

"Look, Annie, it's a feather. That means he really is an angel," Evan exclaimed. He waved the feather around.

Annie was confused. She didn't understand what he was talking about. "An angel? Don't be silly. The feather probably came from the pillow."

"He _is_ an angel. Just wait and see." With that he skipped out of the room with Ebony tailing him. Annie just shrugged and started vacuuming. Evan went downstairs to the library where Relena was on the phone with Hilde.

"So how is everything?" Hilde asked.

"Okay, I guess," Relena replied. She was curled up on one of the comfy chairs. She smiled at Evan when he came and climbed up onto her lap. "Do you want to say hi to Aunt Hilde?" She handed the phone to him.

"Hi, Aunt Hilde," Evan said, cheerfully.

"Hello, Evan. Are you being good like I told you?"

"Yes, and I heard the music just like you said. I found a feather, too," Evan explained excitedly.

"Really? That's great, but you still have to be a very good boy for your Mom," Hilde said. "Or else the angel won't help you."

"I will. Mommy wants to talk to you now." Evan handed the phone back and scampered off her lap.

"What was that about?" questioned Relena as soon as Evan had left the room.

"Nothing," Hilde replied innocently. She changed the subject by adding, "So everything is just okay? Nothing happened at all?"

"What makes you think anything happened?" Relena declared quickly.

That was a little too quickly for Hilde. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that you say nothing happened," Hilde answered. "I know you, Relena Peacecraft. You're hiding something, so spill it."

Relena sighed over the phone. Sometimes she wished that Hilde didn't know her so well. "It wasn't anything big or maybe it was. I don't know." She stopped and sighed again. "I sort of..."

"Sort of what?" prompted Hilde. She knew it had to be good if Relena was this hesitant.

"I sort of kissed my boss," Relena finally blurted out.

"Sort of kissed?! How can you _sort of _kissed your boss? Oh, you have to tell me everything. When did it happened?" Hilde asked, giggling. "Was it good?"

"Hilde, this isn't funny!" Relena nearly shouted.

"Okay, okay. Sorry." Hilde controlled her laughter. "I just can't picture you kissing him."

"It just sort of happened. It wasn't even really a kiss," explained Relena.

"Oh, I knew it! You're falling for him," Hilde exclaimed, a smile forming on her face.

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are. Why else do you sound so glum?" Hilde pointed out.

Relena wanted to retort, but she knew she couldn't. Her best friend was right. She was falling for Heero, and that was a problem. He was still her employer. She groaned miserably. Of all the men in the world, why did it have to be him? Why did he have to be so handsome and good? Why did he have to be so kind and gentle when he wanted to be? Why did her son have to like him so much? That was the worst part. When they have to leave, Evan was going be so sad.

"It could work out," Hilde said softly. "You never know."

Relena smiled at her encouraging tone. "Maybe, but I know better than to have hope again."

"Relena..."

"Everything will go back to the way it was when this is over," Relena declared firmly.

"What if it doesn't?"

"It will. It has to."

****

After dinner that night, everyone went to a nearby rink for some ice-skating. Evan was laughing and pulled Relena along in hurry to get on the ice. Relena was smiling, too as she looked back at the men who were trailing behind. She sighed when she noticed how gorgeous Heero looked in his leather jacket and jeans. Her attention went back to her son when he shouted for her to come and skate. She joined Evan on the ice and took his hand to make sure he didn't fall.

"I hope you're not too cold, Quatre. You're probably not use to this kind of weather," Heero said as they walked.

Quatre shook his head and rubbed his hands. "It's not so bad. Very invigorating, in fact. I happen to like winter. I feel it brings out happiness and innocence. Two things that I think are very rare in this world. For instance, your wife and son." He gestured at the pair who were holding hands and twirling around on the ice.

Heero turned and gazed at his so-called family. They were smiling, and he could hear the occasionally laughs emanating from them. His eyes stopped on Relena who was wearing a white sweater and long dark blue wool skirt. Her eyes were sparkling under the lights, and her cheeks were rosy due to the cold air. Next came Evan who looked like a little elf in his dark green jacket and pants. He even had on an elf like hat. They looked like a family, his family. Unbeknownst to him, a wistful expression appeared in his eyes, but Quatre noticed this and smiled.

"Like I said before, Heero, you are a very lucky man," Quatre said. He clapped a hand on Heero's shoulder. "Make sure it stays that way because once you lose happiness and innocence, you can never get them back. Now that would be a shame since you just found them." With that mysterious statement, he skated out onto the ice.

Bewildered, Heero stared after the blond haired man as he moved toward Relena and Evan. 'What did he mean by that?' he thought. 'Does he know?' Heero shook his head. It wasn't possible. He was sure that there was no mess up. Heero got on the ice and skated to them.

"Look, Daddy, I can skate backward," Evan exclaimed and started to skate backwards after Relena told him to be careful.

Heero was still startled whenever Evan called him Dad, but each time felt like a burst of joy in his heart. Heero was very fond of the boy despite the short time he knew him. Evan was like innocence wrapped up in a bundle of green polyester and cotton. Suddenly Quatre's words popped into his head again. 'Happiness and innocence.' He looked at Relena and immediately realized that she was happiness. He could happy with her, with both of them.

Evan skated over to Heero's side and grabbed his hand. "Here, Daddy, you can skate with Mommy." He started to pull Heero to Relena, meaning for them hold hands. It was all part of his plan to get his mom together with Heero.

Relena's breath caught at the thought of being so close to Heero. She wasn't sure she could handle it. After talking with Hilde, she was determined to halt whatever it was that she felt toward him. She just wasn't sure how or even if she could. She was saved when Heero stopped Evan from pulling him.

"Maybe later, Evan. Right now how about some hot chocolate?" he asked the little boy who slightly disappointed with the interruption of his plan. "With marshmallows."

Evan brightened up at the mention of marshmallows. He could just get them to skate later. He nodded and followed Heero to the hot chocolate stand. He stood next to him patiently while Heero ordered their chocolate. Evan glanced back at his mom and Quatre who were skating and talking.

"Your husband is incredibly successful in his business. I'm glad that I'm able to work with him," Quatre said after Heero and Evan had left.

"Heero is very ambitious. He doesn't let anything stand in his way," Relena replied softly.

"My first impressions of him made me think that he was a cold man," Quatre added.

Relena smiled gently because that was how she thought of him, too, at first. "That's what many people believe when they met him, but Heero is a very good man underneath his mask. You just have to be lucky enough to see beneath it. You'll be amazed at how wonderful he can be."

"Spoken like a loving wife," chuckled Quatre.

Relena flushed and averted her eyes, so he couldn't see the truth in them, a truth that she knew. She looked over at Heero was handing Evan a steaming cup of chocolate and smiled. He was being so kind to her son. It would be great if they were really a family. Relena thought about Quatre's words. Wife, no. Loving, maybe.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Borrowed Hearts.

Chapter Eight

The following morning, Relena was still confused about her feelings for Heero. That man didn't realize how much he was capturing her heart, and it was just by being caring to her son. Last night they had stayed at the ice rink for quite a while, and by the time they got home Evan had fallen asleep. Heero had carried him back up to his room and tucked him, too. He had smiled when Evan woke up just enough to say "Goodnight, Daddy", and it was a contented smile. Relena had watched him look fondly at her son, and her eyes had started to water when Heero bent down and placed a soft kiss on Evan's forehead. She was in bed by the time he left Evan's room. She had pretended to be asleep when he came in. She had heard him moving around and then stopped near the bedside table. Then she heard a sad sigh, but it was so quiet that she thought she had imagined. So she had peeked opened her eyes just a bit and saw Heero head into the closet. His head was down with his bangs hiding his eyes from her gaze, but she could tell he looked sad. She wondered why he would look that way, but she couldn't figure it out. That had kept her tossing and turning all night.

"Darn that man! Darn him for stirring up all these emotions! And darn Hilde for putting into my head the fact I'm falling for him," Relena muttered to herself as she hurried down the stairs. Because she had tossed and turned last night, she woke up late. It was already past nine, and no one had wakened her up. What was that going to look like to Quatre?

"Good morning," Quatre greeted her when she walked into the living room.

"Good morning," Relena said back and looked around the room. Heero was across from Quatre, and both were holding stacks of papers. Evan was sitting next to the coffee table, trying to put together a puzzle. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sleep in so late. Why didn't you wake me up?" She willed herself to look directly at Heero.

Heero met her gaze and smirked at her. He saw her surprised expression and smiled even wider. "You looked very tired last night, so I thought you should sleep some more."

Relena didn't know what was so amusing, but it was nice to see him smiling again after what had happened between them. It was still somewhat awkward to be around him when she still had to figure out her feelings, but at least they didn't have to tiptoe around each other. Playing along, she placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Still, you should have woken me up." Heero glared right back, understanding what she was doing and said she needed her sleep.

"Did you all have breakfast yet?" she asked instead. Everyone said yes, and she smiled, thankfully that they didn't wait for her.

"Mrs. Bradbury made French toast, Mommy," Evan added, looking up from his puzzle. "There's more in the kitchen."

"There should be unless Duo ate it all. He's been in there a long time," Heero grumbled when Relena started to head for the kitchen. "For all the time he comes here you would think that the kitchen was his instead of mine."

Relena stopped and threw another glare at him over her shoulder. "Duo is welcome here anytime. Besides, you don't step into that kitchen enough times to claim it at yours."

Heero was enjoying this banter between them. It made him feel like they were really married. "It's yours then, I assume?"

"Yes, and I'm willing to share once you cook enough dinners as I have," Relena continued. With a nod, she went into the kitchen.

"She's right, you know. It really isn't yours until you cook in there," Duo said as he walked out. He had overheard the conversation and couldn't help but comment. He sat down on one of the chairs and grinned at Heero.

Heero wanted to tell Duo to shut it, but he remembered Evan was sitting on the floor and thought better. He didn't want a lecture from Relena.

Quatre had watched the exchange between Heero and Relena in silence and smiled to himself. There was still hope. He glanced down at Evan who was trying to figure where the pieces went for the puzzle. Heero had leaned over to help Evan when the boy couldn't fit a piece in.

'Yes, there is still hope for them,' he thought, nodding.

****

For the rest of the morning and afternoon, Evan stuck close to Quatre. He needed more proof that Quatre was an angel even though he had the feather. His mom wasn't going to believe him unless there was more. Also, he was sticking close to Heero to make sure everything was all right. When they were skating last night, Heero had sat out most of the night while he skated with his mom and Quatre. Evan was afraid they had argued and wasn't speaking to each other. That had happened with his Uncle Zechs and Aunt Lucy. They did talk again, but it took a while. Evan was happy to see that his mom and Heero were talking again. His plan to get them together won't work if they ignored each other. He was glad Heero wasn't looking all sad anymore. Now he needed to see if his mom was still unhappy.

"Do you want another puzzle, Evan?" Heero asked when he noticed that the boy had finished.

Evan shook his head and got up. "I'm going to see if Mommy's done baking." He had smelt the delicious scent of cookies baking a while ago, and he was hungry now.

"No need, dear." Relena appeared holding a plate of freshly made cookies. She set it down on the table. "It's all done."

Quatre picked one up and bit into it. He smiled blissfully and looked at Relena. "This is delicious." Evan nodded his agreement since his mouth was full. The other two men added their compliments, too.

"Well, thank you. I'm glad you like them. Not everyone had said that last time," Relena stated as she watched her son grab another one.

"Last time?" Quatre asked. He was curious to know who wouldn't like these wonderful cookies. He sure did, reaching for a second one.

Relena suddenly realized what she had said. She had mentioned the time she had baked cookies for everyone at the office. Then she was an employee, not the pretend wife of Heero Yuy. "Um...it was...uh...when was that?" she turned for Heero for help.

Heero opened his mouth to answer, but his mind was drawing a blank. What to say? Luckily Duo spoke up, saving Heero from answering.

"It was at the last Christmas party at the office," Duo said quickly. "Not everyone enjoyed Relena's baked goods."

"You have Christmas parties?" Quatre questioned. "That's great. Heero, you treat your employees very well. Many people I know don't throw a party for their employees. They think it's a waste of money and time."

Heero shook his head, indicating he didn't think so. "They work all year, so they deserve a little break." He was going to kill Duo later for thinking up that. Why did he say that when he knew there was no such thing?

"Will you be having one this year? I would be happy to help," Quatre declared. He looked very eager and smiled at Relena.

"Well..." she turned to Heero again for help. She could tell that he was reluctant, but Heero nodded anyway. It wasn't like he could refuse.

"Yes, we'll be having one next week, and Relena won't mind some help," Heero said, successfully dumping this matter onto her shoulders.

Relena forced a smile at everyone before saying, "Yes, I would love your help. Heero, what's the number of that restaurant from last year? Is it in your study?"

"Sure, I'll give it to you now," Heero replied. He got up and followed Relena to the study. Once inside the study, Heero shut the doors behind him.

"I'm going kill Duo adding this party on," Relena said under her breath, sitting down. "As if there wasn't enough we have to do." She continued to mutter to herself.

"Get in line. You can have what's left." Heero started to pace back and forth, ignoring her rambling. "Quatre's going to expect a party now, so there's no backing out of it. I need to find a restaurant that still has openings for parties, but at this time of the month there's hardly any left. Damn it." This was getting to be a major problem.

"I know a restaurant," Relena said suddenly, looking up.

"You do?" Heero stopped pacing. "Where?" He sat down on the table in front of her.

"I have a friend who owns one, and Hilde always has room despite the busy season," explained Relena. "I'm sure she'll welcome the business."

"Great. Call her," Heero sighed with relief. "Money isn't a problem."

"It won't be anything fancy though," she warned him.

Heero dismissed that with a wave of his hand. "It doesn't matter. Anything will do. Will she be able to do everything in a week?"

Relena thought it over for a few moments and then nodded. "She should. I'll go there to help, too, and I suppose if Quatre wants to help, he can."

Suddenly taking her hands into his, Heero looked directly into her eyes and smiled gently. "Thank you for doing this. I know it wasn't in the job description."

Relena felt a blush slowly rising up to her cheeks. She glanced down at their hands and smiled herself. "It'll be fun, I guess. I've never plan a party before."

"You are a lifesaver. First you show up at my doorstep, and now you get me out of this mess." Heero released her hand and gently lifted her head up again. Prussian blue met aquamarine.

"I just suggested a restaurant," Relena stammered. She couldn't really think straight with him touching her. The warmth of his hand seeped into her skin, making her feel hot. His intense gaze wasn't helping either. She couldn't look away. His fingers moved up and slowly caressed her cheek, this time sending a chill down her spine.

"Still, to put up with all this, you're really something," Heero said, his voice growing softer. He cupped her cheek, and she unconsciously tilted her head into his hand.

Relena continued to stare into his eyes. She could lose herself in them. Then something changed. If she wasn't mistaken, she saw a touch of tenderness in them. And love? No, she had to be wrong. Why would he look at her with love? She heard him speak again.

"Before this all started, did you know I felt like I was drowning? I couldn't breathe, and things were becoming so dark around me. Besides that, I had closed myself off for so long that I almost felt like a snowman, the snowman you thought I was," Heero whispered. He leaned in to gaze more deeply into her eyes. He didn't know why he was pouring his heart out now to her, but he couldn't stop.

"Heero..." Relena stopped as she felt her eyes tear up.

"But then you and Evan showed up just like that and started to melt the snow away. Started to bring me up to the surface where I could breathe," Heero continued on fervently. "And now..."

Relena shook her head wildly. "No, don't..."

Heero was confused when she pulled away and stood off to the side. She wrapped her arms around her as she tried hard to hold back the tears. He got up and moved to comfort her, but she moved away again. "Relena?"

"Don't, Heero. Don't make this harder than it already is," Relena pleaded.

"I don't understand." His arms dropped back down.

"Everything has to go back to the way it was before." Relena repeated the words she had said to Hilde. "When this is all over, it has to."

"What are you talking about?" Heero asked anyway even though he had an inkling as to what she was saying.

"We have to go back to you not knowing me and vice versa," Relena said. "When Quatre leaves, we go back to being employer and employee."

Heero closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on what was happening. He took a deep breath and looked at her again. "You're saying that when this is over, you're walking away?" Heero was hurt, and he could hear it in his voice.

"That was the deal, wasn't it?" she replied softly. Her heart twisted painfully at the anguish she saw in his eyes.

"Yes." He was forced to agreed. "But things have changed." Heero took a step forward and reached out to touch her.

Relena stepped back and shook her head again. She knew he was right about things changing, but one thing had not. He was still her employer, and it wouldn't work out. Situations like this never work out. She felt the tears she was holding back begin to fall. Relena turned around quickly so Heero couldn't see them. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Relena..." Heero said again. He didn't want to see her cry. "Why?"

"Let us do our job and leave," Relena stated as firmly as she could. "And then things will go back to the way it was." She knew she was repeating the same words, but she had to keep reminding herself. With that, she opened the doors and hurried out of the room before she could disgrace herself anymore. In her haste, she didn't notice her son standing behind the door.

Heero just stood there. He didn't understand why she had to do this. He poured his heart out to her, and she left him hanging. Anger began to well up inside him, directed at her for causing him to feel this way. How could she leave him after all this? How? And why? Why did she had to do this? Then he heard footsteps coming his way, and Heero settled back into his mask with ease. After all, he certainly had enough practice.

"Heero, is everything all right?" Quatre asked, coming into the study. He had seen Relena go upstairs in a hurry, obviously in distress.

"Of course." Heero made sure he appeared impassive before turning around. "What could be wrong?"

Quatre made no reply, but he could clearly see the pain in Heero's eyes. What had happened? Only ten minutes ago, he and Relena seemed to be in friendly spirits, but now they were out of sorts. He followed Heero back to the living room. Quatre sighed and thought, 'Hope just vanished again.'

Evan had been hiding in the corner and had heard everything. He knew he shouldn't have eavesdropped on his mom and Heero, but he had to make sure everything was all right. Now he knew. They weren't all right. He and his mom were still leaving after Quatre left. He wasn't going to get a dad. It wasn't fair. Evan got up and headed to his room, but before he went up, he peeked into the living room. Heero was still talking with Quatre and Duo. Evan liked Heero a lot, and he knew his mom liked Heero, too. So he didn't understand why they had to leave. He turned around went upstairs. He found Ebony on his bed.

"Hey, Ebony. It looks like we're really going to leave," Evan said, sadly. He rubbed Ebony's back. "I'm going to miss you." She purred and arched her back. Evan pulled her onto his lap and continued to pet her. "You're such a nice kitty."

She meowed and looked up at him. She had on a 'Don't give up so soon' look if cat could look like that. Evan understood. He didn't know why, but he did.

"You're right, Ebony. I could still get a dad. I still have my plan." Evan smiled mischievously. Ebony meowed again in response to his smile, happy that he wasn't sad anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Borrowed Hearts.

Chapter 9

The party was a success. The employees were surprised when Heero announced to them that he was having one as a thank you for all their hard work during the year. The party was held at Hilde's restaurant as planned, and with Relena and Quatre helping, there were no problems. The atmosphere was awkward when the employees found out that Relena, one of them, had planned the party. She didn't really know what to say to them. Luckily, Duo smoothed things over by telling everyone that Relena was friends with the owner, and she was simply helping. That was the truth for the most part.

Quatre didn't know what to think when he saw how indifferent Heero and Relena were acting toward each other. It was partly due to the fact that no one could know about the "arrangement" between them, but still ignoring each other wasn't helping the situation. Quatre wasn't sure how things were going to go now. He truly wished for their happiness and Evan's, but that didn't seem likely at the moment. He didn't say anything more to Heero. It was up to him and Relena to figure it out now. Sadly, Quatre could do no more.

Evan noticed Quatre's sad expression even though the older man was all smiles and laughter at the party. He didn't hear anymore music, and he was afraid it meant Quatre was leaving soon. Why else would an angel be sad? Evan still didn't have any real proof that Quatre was an angel, but he couldn't worry about that now. If Quatre wasn't going to help, then Evan was going to do it by himself.

His plan was simple: get his mom and Heero under some mistletoe. He remembered that at last year's Christmas party at Aunt Hilde's restaurant, Uncle Zechs and Aunt Lucy were mad at each other, and they were fighting, too. Evan didn't remember why, but he figured it was a grown up thing. Then everything turned out okay when Uncle Zechs kissed Aunt Lucy under the mistletoe. He saw them make up, and everyone was happy again. Now if he could somehow get his mom and Heero under the mistletoe, then everything would be okay. He'd get his dad, and all of them would be a family.

So that was what Quatre saw him doing the day after the party. Quatre had walked into the foyer, and he saw Evan trying to push a chair under the living room's doorway.

"Evan, what are you doing?" he asked the boy, coming up behind him.

Evan turned around at the sound of his voice and blurted out, "Nothing!" He quickly hid the mistletoe behind him.

Quatre smiled knowingly and crouched down until he was at eye level with Evan. "Really? It doesn't look like nothing to me."

Evan hung his head and shifted his feet nervously. Everyone except Annie and Hawthorne were supposed to be gone. He wanted make sure no one found out what he was doing, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. He mumbled something under his breath, deciding that it was okay if Quatre knew. After all, he had come to help him, hadn't he?

"What was that?"

With a sigh, Evan looked up and replied, "I need help."

"Well, I'll be glad to help you if you tell me what you're doing," Quatre declared.

Evan showed him the mistletoe and explained that he wanted to hang it up. He didn't say why he wanted to. Quatre just smiled again and took the mistletoe. He climbed up and hung it. Evan thanked him, and Quatre watched him scamper off.

'It seems that I wasn't the only who wanted to bring them together,' Quatre thought, his eyes twinkling with delight.

Evan raced up to his room and found Ebony laying on his bed again. He got in bed and started to rub her back. "I did it, Ebony. I put the mistletoe up. Well, Mr. Winner did, but it doesn't matter. Now we have to get Mommy and Mr. Yuy under it. Then everything will be great, and I'll get my daddy."

The cat purred in response and closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep. Evan curled up against her, feeling tired all of a sudden. He pulled his covers over him and yawned.

'Yeah. I'll get a daddy. Mommy will be happy again, and we'll all be a family,' Evan thought before he went to sleep as well. 'A family.'

***

Heero was sitting in his office, going over the final papers when Duo and Trowa stepped in.

"Hey, Heero. Me and Trowa are going to head out now. You coming?" asked Duo.

Heero looked up from his work and shook his head. There was still a lot to do. Not concentrating on the merger due to his periodic thoughts about Relena wasn't helping. Yet, he couldn't help it. She would wander into his mind even if he was thinking about other things. She shouldn't, considering she and Evan were leaving soon. Heero didn't want to think about that. "No, I have to finish this," he replied, not knowing he was scowling.

Duo and Trowa exchanged a glance. They weren't oblivious as to what was happening between Heero and Relena. It was obvious that they liked each other even if they were too blind to see it and too stubborn to admit it.

"All right. We'll see you tomorrow then," Duo said and followed Trowa out to their cars. Whey they got there, he turned to the taller man and asked, "Think it'll happen?"

Trowa shrugged and said, "Who knows? It's up to them."

Ten minutes after they left, Heero's secretary came in and asked if she could leave early. "I still have some presents to buy," she explained. Heero nodded and waved her off. "Thank you and Merry Christmas." With that she left.

Heero grumbled under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. He leaned back and closed his eyes. "Merry Christmas," he muttered to himself. "Presents." Suddenly, his eyes flew open and he exclaimed, "Presents! I forgot presents!"

He grabbed his coat and rushed off the closest department store. He couldn't believe he had forgotten. He wasn't going to disappoint Evan on Christmas morning. Even though Evan wasn't really his son, Heero still wanted the boy to have a wonderful Christmas.

Later that night when everyone was asleep, Heero was in the living room with the fire roaring behind him. Unwrapped gifts, wrapping paper, and ribbons surrounded him. At the moment he was trying to put together a model of a dinosaur's skeleton, and he wasn't succeeding. Heero looked over the diagram again and mumbled to himself, "Place completed part A onto part B. What?"

Relena came downstairs with a bag of toys herself and saw him talking to himself. She smiled and quietly walked over to him. She kneeled down and said, "I think it goes this way." Relena took the part and connected it into the other part.

Heero stared at the model in wonder. "How did you know that?" He looked up at her.

"Ah, I've done this before," she replied softly.

"Well, that's enough for Mr. Dinosaur," Heero stated and placed the unfinished model aside.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Heero didn't know what to say. What could he say? It was nearly time for her and Evan to leave. He didn't like the way his heart tightened painfully at that thought. Life wasn't going to be the same after they left. It was going to be dark, cold, and lonely again. Heero had no real desire to go back to that life, but what could he do? 'She isn't staying,' he thought, swirling his glass of brandy.

Relena saw the emotions flicker across his face and stood up quickly to avoid thinking about them. She moved to the fireplace and began to place small toys into the stockings that were hanging. When she could find the courage to speak, she said, in what she hoped was a neutral tone, "I've never seen so many presents before. Quatre will be impressed."

Heero took a sip of brandy and stared down at the amber liquid. "They're not for Quatre's benefit. They're for Evan's. When she didn't say anything, he added casually, "I wanted him to have a good Christmas."

Relena's hand hovered over a stocking and glanced over her shoulder. He wasn't making this easy for her. She resumed placing the toys into the stockings. For some reason, Relena started to explain to him how Christmas was for her brother and her. "Milliardo and I were orphaned when we were young, and our grandparents raised us. We didn't have much money, but every Christmas, we would get one big present. I remember one year I got this elaborate paint set. I went crazy. I painted everything. I even painted the cat." She smiled at the memory and asked, "What was your favorite Christmas?"

Heero stared down at his glass again and replied huskily, "This one."

He definitely wasn't making this easy for her. Relena sighed and finished her task. She sat down next to him and placed a finger on a ribbon he was tying. "My grandmother would hang my pictures on the refrigerator all time, and it made me think I could do it professionally."

"You still can," Heero pointed out, setting the wrapped gift to the side. He turned and looked into her eyes. "If you want to."

Relena shrugged and averted his gaze by glancing over his shoulder at a picture of her and Evan. "That's the dream, but everything I do now is for Evan. He comes first."

"You're real gutsy, you know that?" Heero reached up and brushed a tendril of hair away from her face. "I've never met a woman like you before." His fingers drifted down to caress her cheek. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't help himself.

Relena leaned into his touch almost unconsciously. She turned, and their eyes caught. This time she didn't look away. She continued to gaze into his beautiful eyes as his thumb gently traced the shape of her lips. His eyes held such warmth and longing that Relena thought she was seeing things. What could he possible long for?

"Why haven't you gotten married yet, Heero?" she asked out of the blue.

Heero was taken back by the sudden question. His hand dropped, and he looked away. He picked up his glass and took another sip.

"Heero?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

He sighed and forced himself to look at her again. He swallowed hard. "I haven't gotten married yet because I thought I wouldn't...make a good father."

"That's not true," Relena quickly retorted. "I've seen you with Evan. You would make a wonderful father." Her eyes softened as she remembered how happy her son was when he was with Heero. Evan really loved being with him. Heero would make a wonderful father to Evan if it could happen. If only things were different between her and Heero. If only...

Heero watched her intently, wondering what she could be thinking about. He reached up and caressed her face again. He saw her train of thoughts stop, and she leaned against his touch again. Heero didn't want to bring up the uncomfortable subject concerning them, but he needed to know why.

"Relena, why?"

Relena gazed at him sadly. She smiled slightly and took his hand into hers. "Because it won't work out, and there would be hurt between us. I don't want that."

His eyes narrowed. "You don't know that." Heero pulled free and grasped her chin with his thumb and finger. Relena tried to pull away, but he held firm. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't think about me when you're in my bed at night." His voice dropped a notch. "Tell you don't toss and turn and...wonder."

"I do wonder, Heero, and sometimes I feel so close to you that it scares me," Relena replied softly. "I've already been with a man who would leave me and Evan without a thought, and I don't know what I'd do if it happens again."

"I would never do that to you," he countered quickly. "I..." Heero stopped. It came to him suddenly. He wasn't sure why he didn't see it before. He loved her. He was head over heels in love with her. He stared at her as if he never saw her before.

Relena didn't know why he stopped all of a sudden. She certainly didn't know what to make of his stare. He was looking at her as if he just had an epiphany. Did he know? Did he know she loved him? Yesterday she had to admit to herself what she was feeling. At the party she and Heero had acted coldly toward each other, and she hated it. Then she had realized why. She loved him.

Heero swallowed hard. The recognition was like a breath of fresh air. He loved her. He wanted to shout it to the world, and he didn't care if everyone knew. Heero's hand slowly moved to the back of her neck, and he leaned closer to her. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Relena, you know that I would never hurt you purposely, don't you?" he asked, his mood suddenly changing.

She nodded, not being able to speak with him so close. Relena stared into his eyes that were burning with intensity. He leaned in closer, and she realized he was about to kiss her. Her eyelids slowly drifted shut as she leaned in as well. She felt his lips coming closer to hers.

"I would never hurt you," Heero whispered against her lips. His eyes closed, too, and he kissed her softly at first. Then he heard her gasp, and he deepened the kiss. His lips moved leisurely over hers as he kept her close to him.

Before she knew it, Relena was gripping his shirt. She didn't want this to end. It felt good. It felt right. 

Soon they had pull apart for some air. Heero rested his forehead against hers as they tried to catch their breath. "Don't make me let you go, Relena," he said as soon as he could speak.

Relena looked intently at him and tried to think of something to say. Fortunately, she didn't have to because suddenly she heard Evan shouting for her.

"Mommy! Mommy, I'm scared!" came the distant voice.

She pulled away and stammered, "Evan needs me." With that she left Heero and ran upstairs to her son's room.

Heero sat there for awhile, staring into the fireplace. He could still feel his lips tingling from the kiss. It had felt so right to kiss her, to hold her, to feel her close to him. Heero made up his mind about what to do. He loved her, and he wasn't about to let her go. He smirked to himself and picked up his glass of brandy again. No, he wasn't letting her go.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Borrowed Hearts

Chapter 10

The next night Heero was in his study trying to concentrate on his work. He wasn't succeeding. His mind kept drifting back to last night. After Relena had gone to bed, he laid awake on the couch inside his closet, thinking about how to get her and Evan to stay. He thought about telling her that he loved her, but he wasn't entirely sure about her feelings. He didn't want to make any mistakes. Heero needed them like he needed air. He didn't feel alive without them. So, how was he going to do this? An idea came to mind late last night, but he wasn't sure if it'd work. Heero glanced up when he heard the doors open. A blond head poked in.

"Is there something you want, Evan?" he asked the boy.

"Is Ebony here?" Evan asked back. Heero pointed up at the bookcase where the cat was resting quietly. Evan slipped in and called for Ebony. The cat looked down at him, yawned, and went back to sleep.

Heero smiled as Evan tried again to beckon the cat down. She didn't. As he watched silently, his idea suddenly came to mind. It could work if... "Evan, why don't you leave Ebony alone? It doesn't look like she wants to play." Evan pouted and started to leave when Heero called him back. Evan walked over, and Heero picked him up and set him down on the desk. "Can I ask you a question?"

Evan nodded. Heero opened his mouth to ask, but then he changed his mind. How could he phrase it? He was silent for a few seconds, and Evan wondered what was wrong.

"Okay, Evan. Answer as honestly as you can," Heero ordered. "Do you like living here with me?" Evan nodded again, and Heero smiled. "Do you like me being your dad?"

Evan's gaze dropped down to his lap and didn't say anything. Heero asked him again. "Mommy says you're not my daddy." Well, not until he got him and Mommy under the mistletoe, but he didn't say that to Heero.

"Would you like me to be your daddy?" questioned Heero. He knew he was taking a big chance asking Evan. The boy was still young, and he knew that Evan didn't really understand everything that was happening.

Evan looked up sharply and stared at Heero. Did he know about the mistletoe?

"Evan, would you like me to be your dad?" Heero asked again.

Evan smiled brightly and nodded vigorously. If Heero wanted to be his daddy, who was he to say no? "Do you mean it? You'll be my daddy for real?"

Heero returned the smile equally as bright. "Yes, I mean it."

"Yay!" Evan jumped off the desk and threw his arms around Heero.

Heero burst out laughing and settled Evan on his lap. He couldn't believe it. He was going to have a son as soon as the second part of his idea worked out. He held Evan close to him and sighed happily.

Inside the kitchen Relena was baking more holiday cookies with Quatre when she looked at up suddenly. She could swear she just heard laughing.

"Is something wrong?" Quatre asked from his seat at the kitchen table. He was putting icing on the cookies when he noticed her stop kneading the dough.

"Did you heard someone laughing a second ago?" Relena questioned. He shook his head. She picked up a towel and wiped her hands. "I'll be right back."

Relena left the kitchen and walked over to the study. The doors were opened. She hesitated for a moment before sticking her head in. She saw Evan sitting on Heero's lap. Both of them were smiling. That was strange as she felt a hint of suspicion enter her head. "What's going on here?"

Both of them looked up at her voice. "Nothing," Heero replied, cheerfully.

Two aquamarine eyes narrowed at his answer. "Really?" Relena wondered why he was acting as if nothing happened last night. He was happy, too happy for Relena's peace of mind.

"Of course. We were just having a man to man talk, weren't we, Evan?" Heero turned to the boy who was grinning and nodding. "See? Just talking."

Relena wanted to say more, but it did looked like they were just talking. What they were talking about was what worried her. She sighed and shook her head. "All right. Dinner should be ready in about in hour." Relena closed the doors and headed back to the kitchen.

The image of Evan sitting happily on Heero's lap floated into her mind, and she smiled. Her son really loved Heero just like she did. Relena felt her eyes water and her heart constrict. How in the world was she going to make herself leave in a few day? How was she going to get Evan to leave? Then she remembered what Heero had said last night.

_Don't make me let you go._

He had to have said it in the heat of the moment. She certainly wasn't thinking clearly after the kiss. 'But what if he meant it?' her heart told her. Relena quickly shoved that thought away. No, she meant what she said last night. She didn't want hurt between them. Feeling somewhat resolved, she walked into the kitchen to start dinner.

"I think Mommy knows," Evan said after Relena had left. "She's really smart."

"Yes, she is," Heero agreed, setting Evan on the desk again.

"Are we going to be a family now?" asked Evan happily.

Heero smiled at the question. He wondered himself. Relena was being stubborn, so he wasn't sure if his idea was going to pan out. However, he was just as stubborn, and now he had Evan on his side. Evan would help him convince Relena that she belonged with him.

"Almost," he answered when Evan repeated his question. "There's just one problem."

"Can I help? Mommy says I'm good at solving problems," Evan declared eagerly.

"Really? Well, then I will need your help after all," replied Heero. Evan looked at him expectantly. "You see, your mom needs a little convincing. She doesn't really understand that you two should stay with me and be a family together."

"Then we'll make her understand!" exclaimed Evan. "We can use mistletoe."

Heero blinked. Mistletoe? His mind suddenly flashed back to the kiss last night. He smiled as a mischievous thought popped up. Mistletoe will certainly help him very much. "You're right, Evan. We can use it."

Evan nodded in delight. "There's some hanging over the living room door. Mr. Winner helped me put it up." He paused and thought about whether he should tell Heero about Mr. Winner. "I think Mr. Winner is an angel."

"Is that so? Do you think he's here to help us?" Heero asked, smiling at the thought of Quatre being an angel. But then again there was something about the man, something heavenly. Evan nodded again. "Okay, then. Listen carefully. Here's what we're going to do." Heero began to tell Evan his idea slowly so he would understand.

By the time Heero was done, he was hopeful that his idea would work out.

***

After a delicious dinner, all four of them settled to the living room. With a little coaxing from Evan, they ended up playing a game of Monopoly. Evan partnered up with Quatre, forcing Relena to team up with Heero. After awhile, team Evan was winning by a landslide. They had bought up most of the properties and had the most money.

"You landed on Boardwalk, Mommy. You have to pay $1200," Evan declared happily.

Relena sighed heavily because she knew that they didn't have it. Heero picked up the rest of their property and money and handed them to a beaming Quatre.

"Yippee! We won!" exclaimed Evan, jumping up and down.

"How did that happen?" Relena asked Heero. He just shrugged and sighed, too. He and Quatre started to put away the pieces.

"Don't be sad, Mommy. You'll win next time," Evan reassured her with a smile.

Relena smiled back. "All right, sweetie. It's time for bed." She got up and held her hand out. "Say goodnight."

"Can Mr. Winner tuck me in?" Evan asked when he noticed Heero smiling at him.

"Now, Evan..."

"I don't mind," Quatre interrupted suddenly.

Evan looked at Relena hopefully. Relena just sighed and nodded. Evan grabbed Quatre's hand and began to pull the man out. Relena watched them go upstairs and reminded Evan to brush his teeth. She walked back to living room and saw Heero leaning against the sofa. 

"I think I'll head off to bed as well," Relena said. She didn't it would be wise to be alone with Heero. She didn't want a repeat of last night.

"It's still early," Heero replied. He turned around and looked at her. "We can talk."

"I don't think we have anything to talk about," she declared quietly.

"Please." Heero gestured at the spot next to him.

Relena looked carefully at Heero. He seemed sincere enough. She forced herself to look into his eyes. They were warm and loving? That wasn't possible. She had to be seeing things. Maybe it was the lighting in the room.

"Relena, please," he repeated huskily.

His tone was a good enough indication, but with a heavy sigh and knowing she was going to regret this, Relena sat down next to him.

Heero smiled to himself. She was starting to give in. He reached over and handed her a cup of tea. She thanked him and took a sip.

"Quatre will be leaving on Christmas. He's going to take a flight at night," Heero informed her to break the silence between them.

"I guess you're happy that all this is going to be over soon," Relena replied softly, staring into the fire.

"Is that what you really think?"

Relena made no reply. She continued to stare into the fire. The flames flickered, and the embers popped. She didn't know what to say. The truth wasn't going to help. She loved him. He may want her to stay and work things out, but that didn't mean he loved her. Relena just couldn't take that chance. It's not just her happiness at sake but also her son. Evan would be crushed when they had to leave, but better now than later.

"Things will be different despite what you think. We'll see each other all the time, and unless you quit, you can't avoid me." Heero looked at her. He reached over and gently turned her head toward him until they were face to face. As he gazed into her eyes, he repeated what he said last night. "Don't make me let you go."

"Heero..."

He leaned in until there was only an inch between their faces. He felt her tremble underneath his hand. Heero knew he shouldn't be doing this, but she was being stubborn, and if this was the only way she was going to listen, then he had no choice.

Relena heard her breathing speed up as he leaned closer. She should stop him, but for some reason she couldn't move.

'That's because you want him to kiss you,' her mind said.

'No, I don't,' Relena shot back.

'Yes, you do. So just let him, and get whatever memories you can.'

Relena stopped thinking when she felt his lips touch hers. Her eyes drifted closed, and she let out a soft sigh.

Heero felt her surrender and deepened the kiss. He was going to make her see that they belonged together, one way or another.

Meanwhile upstairs, Quatre was tucking Evan into bed. The boy crawled between the sheets and waited until Quatre was sitting on the bed. He smiled up at him and wondered how things were going with his mom and Heero. He had deliberately asked Quatre tuck him in, so that Heero could make his mom "understand" that they should stay here and be a family.

"All right, Evan. Ready for bed?" Quatre asked, smiling down at him. 

Evan nodded and snuggled under his blanket. "Can I ask you a question, Mr. Winner?"

"Of course. What's your question?"

"Do you believe in angels?" Evan asked and watched Quatre carefully. This was his chance to really figure out if Quatre was an angel or not.

Quatre's expression didn't change as he answered, but there was a slight twinkle in his eyes. "Angels? Well, I suppose I do believe in them."

Evan grinned happily at his reply. "Are they real?"

"Their existence is a state of mind," replied Quatre. At Evan's puzzled expression, Quatre laughed softly and added, "They're real if you want them to be."

Evan was still confused. How can an angel be real if he wants one to be? Didn't angels come from heaven? "I don't understand."

"Just think about it." Quatre stood up and walked to the door. "Goodnight, Evan." He shut the lights off and closed the door.

Evan laid in his bed, thinking about what Quatre said. Soon, he fell asleep, still thinking.

Back down in the living room, Heero had cupped Relena's face with both hands and angled his head to kiss her more deeply. She was gripping his shoulders as she leaned in closer to him. Suddenly he pulled away to catch his breath, but he didn't move too far away. Heero could feel her rapid breathing fan his face. He waited until Relena opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Don't deny what's between us," Heero whispered against her lips.

"It'll never work," she whispered back.

"Let time be the judge of that."

"I don't want Evan to get hurt."

"I would never hurt him."

"And I don't want..."

"I would never hurt you," Heero added. He traced her lips with his thumb. "Please, give me a chance."

"I just..." Relena saw the pleading in his eyes and the sincerity of his words, but old fears and doubts surfaced again. "I just don't know!" She pulled away and rushed upstairs to her old room. She leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

"What's wrong with you, Relena Peacecraft? You love him, but you're too afraid of the future to give yourself a chance at happiness," she said to herself. Relena slid down until she was sitting on the floor. "Don't I want to be happy?" She wrapped her arms around her knees and cried.

Heero leaned away from the door, feeling shock and rather happy, too. He had followed Relena after she left him, and he knew he shouldn't be listening through doors, but he did it anyway. He started to walk back to his room. Heero felt like he was on cloud nine. A smile formed on his face, and it kept getting bigger. She loved him. She really loved him!

Heero was so ecstatic that he didn't notice Quatre standing in the hallway until he walked past him. He stopped suddenly and turned to the man, his eyes wide and his smile fading. "Quatre. How long have you been standing there?"

Quatre smiled innocently. "Not long. I just put Evan to bed. Are you heading off to bed as well?"

"It's not what you think," Heero replied, deliberately ignoring the question.

The smile stayed in place. "Happiness and innocence, Heero. Don't lose them." With that Quatre headed off to his own room.

Heero stood rooted to the spot as he watched him walk away. Those two words. Quatre had said them to him before. Did that mean he knew?

"Oh, one more thing, Heero," Quatre said suddenly, stopping at his bedroom door. He turned around and added, "A family is a family. No matter what the circumstances. That's what I think anyway."

He knew. Heero smirked at his words. "Thank you." Quatre just nodded and disappeared into his room. Heero glanced over his shoulder and looked toward Relena's and Evan's rooms. They were his family, and like he said before, he wasn't letting them go.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Borrowed Hearts.

Chapter 11

Soon the night of Christmas Eve came, and all the children in the city were getting ready for bed and for Santa Claus to come. Wishes and dreams were going to be fulfilled that night, and for one boy, his wish was about to come true.

"Okay, Evan. You ready for bed?" Heero asked as Evan climbed up to the bed.

Evan nodded and grinned when Ebony jumped onto the bed and curled up at his feet. "Are we going to be a family soon?" he questioned Heero.

"As soon as your mom knows," Heero replied.

"When's that?"

Heero looked thoughtful. "Do you think Christmas morning is too early?"

Evan shook his head quickly. "Mommy's going to be surprised."

Heero smiled. "I hope so." He turned around when he heard footsteps and saw Relena poked her head in.

"Did you brush your teeth?" she asked, looking directly at Evan. He nodded again. "Okay, then it's time for bed. You do want Santa to come here, don't you?"

Evan let out a squeak of alarm and burrowed under his blanket. "Goodnight, Mommy." He yawned. "Goodnight, Daddy."

Relena was saddened at his words. She turned around and left.

"Goodnight, Evan," Heero said softly. He bent down and gave Evan a gentle kiss on the forehead. "We'll see what presents we'll get in the morning, won't we?" Evan smiled and closed his eyes. Heero turned off the lights and shut the door.

He walked back to his room and saw Relena sitting on the window side of the bed, brushing her hair. Heero didn't tell her that it wasn't necessary for her to sleep here anymore. It would have been counterproductive to his plan. Granted it was a simple and risky one at the beginning, but it wasn't now. He knew that she loved him, and now all he had to do was tell her how he felt and hoped things work out.

Relena felt him watching her, but she didn't turn around. She couldn't bear to look at him anymore. They had avoided each other as much as possible during the day. Actually, it was more like her avoiding him, but she had to. What could she say after last night? 'Yes, Heero. I want to stay, but I'm afraid you don't love me,' the back of her mind shouted all of a sudden. Relena pushed that thought away and continue to brush her hair. After a while, she heard him in the closet where he had placed a couch so he wouldn't have to sleep on the floor anymore. She climbed into bed as well and pulled the covers over her. Relena thought about to say something at that moment but decided not to. It would be best if they said as few things as possible to each other. Yes, that was the best thing to do.

***

Evan opened his eyes and looked out the window. It was morning. He threw back his blanket, startling Ebony and causing her screech loudly for being woken up so rudely. Evan was smiling as he ran into Heero's room.

"It's Christmas! It's Christmas! Wake up, Mommy!" Evan shouted, jumping up onto the bed and waking up Relena as well. Then he rushed into the closet and shook Heero awake. "It's Christmas!"

Heero sat up abruptly at the sudden noise and rubbed his eyes. He peered at Evan who was jumping up and down with joy. A smile formed on his face as Evan's enthusiasm was a bit contagious.

"Why don't we go down and see what presents Santa left?" Relena asked, appearing in the doorway. She tied the sash of her robe and held out her hand to Evan.

Evan looked anxiously at Heero who got up and put on his own robe. He grabbed his mom's hand, and they hurried down stairs. They met Quatre on the way down who had been woken up by Evan's shouting. Evan stopped short of entering the living room and stared at the all the colorfully wrapped gifts under the tree that stood next to the large living room window. He never saw so many presents before.

"Wow, look at all those presents," Quatre declared, walking into the living room. "You must have been a very good boy this year, Evan."

"Okay, what should we open first?" Heero asked, looking down at Evan. With a bright smile, Evan rushed over to the tree and looked around for something.

"This one!" he exclaimed. He pulled out a thin, squared box that was covered in blue and green wrapping paper and handed it to Relena. "This is for you, Mommy."

"For me? I wonder what it is," Relena replied. She sat down on the sofa and waited until Evan climbed up next to her. Heero stood behind them. She opened the cover and looked inside. She gasped in surprise. "Oh, Evan..." Relena took out a black picture frame that contained a hand drawn picture of three stick figures that were suppose to resemble people. In the background was a house and trees surrounding it. At the top of the picture were the words "My Family."

Evan leaned in closer and pointed at the figure in the middle. It was small and holding hands with the figures on either side of him. "That's me." Then he pointed at the other figures. "And that's you and Daddy. Do you like it, Mommy?" Evan looked up expectantly. "Mommy, what's wrong?"  


Relena's eyes had started to water. She blinked back her tears and gave her son a watery smile. She wrapped her arms around Evan and squeezed hard. Next came a big kiss on his cheek. "I love it."

A face splitting grin appeared on his face. "Really?"

Relena nodded, unable to say anything else. What could she say? That he was wrong, and they weren't a family? She looked back down at the picture, running a finger over it. A family. If only...

Later with a fire blazing in the fireplace, Evan sat next to the tree with Quatre opening up the rest of his presents. Quatre received a pair of gold cuff links among other gifts. Evan was delighted to see so many presents that were just for him. Heero pulled Relena aside to the coffee table that was pushed against the sofa to make room for Evan's presents. A large, flat polished oak box laid on it.

"This is my gift for you," he said softly as they sat down.

Relena looked at the box, wondering what it was. She pushed aside the ribbon around it and opened the lid. She gasped again. It was an elaborate paint set fit for a professional artist with paint, brushes, and other things. It had to have been very expensive. Relena picked up a brush and turned it around carefully. "Oh, Heero. It's beautiful." Then she set the brush down. "But I can't. It's too much."

"No, it's not," Heero replied with a warm smile. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's for that dream of yours."

Relena couldn't help but smile back at him for remembering her dream to paint professionally. Before she knew it, she leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thank you," she murmured. She pulled back and saw the shock on Heero's face. Relena was pretty shocked herself. This was the first time for her to kiss him. "You don't know how happy you've made me."

"I would like to know if you'll let me," he said back. Relena started to turn away, but Heero caught her. "I would like nothing more than to make you happy," he added.

"I'm afraid," Relena finally admitted, her voice growing softer.

"You don't have to be," Heero stated. "I won't hurt you."

Relena wanted to believe him. She knew Heero was a good man. How can a man who looked at her with such warmth and care be anything but? Maybe she should tell him how she felt as she watched him lean toward her. Maybe things could work out.

Evan was looking at his mom and Heero with a big smile of his own. It was working. First his picture and now the paint set. They were winning his mom over. He glanced up at the mistletoe hanging over the doorway. Only one thing left.

"Mommy, can we have breakfast yet?" he blurted out abruptly.

Relena jumped at Evan's sudden outburst, and the haze surrounding her and Heero disappeared. What was she doing? Relena quickly backed away from Heero and looked over at her son. Evan was sitting there patiently for her answer.

"Of course, honey. What do you want?" she asked, hastily getting up. She stood in the doorway and waited for him to reply.

Heero smiled to himself as he assessed the situation. He was disappointed when she had pulled away, but then again Relena was standing right under the mistletoe now. He reminded himself to reward Evan later for this.

"Um..." Evan pretended to look like he was thinking until Heero got up and silently moved to Relena's side without her noticing. Then Evan looked up and kept his gaze there.

Relena followed his gaze and glanced up. Her eyes widened. There was a sprig of mistletoe hanging above. How did that get there? She looked back down when she felt Heero standing in front of her. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn she saw victory in his eyes.

"Look, Mommy. You're standing under the mistletoe. That means you have to kiss Daddy," exclaimed Evan, happily.

Even Quatre was smiling. "Yes, Relena. That is the tradition, isn't it?"

Relena felt her breathing speed up as Heero got closer with a small smile on his face. His hand moved up to her nape while his other hand slid around to her back. Unconsciously, Relena's arms wound themselves around his neck. Heero bent his head slowly while Relena tilted hers up. He brushed his mouth against hers before kissing her more fully. Relena's grip tightened as his lips moved languidly over hers. Before long, she was kissing him back. Heero poured all his love and need into the kiss, hoping to make her understand that they belong together. He and she along with Evan were meant to be a family.

Finally they pulled apart, but Heero didn't let her go. He rested his forehead against hers and waited until their breathing slowed down. Then he looked into her eyes. Relena could clearly see the emotions running rampant behind his own beautiful ones. Those eyes that held love, unmistakable love.

"I want to make another deal with you," Heero declared softly, knowing that she could plainly see how he felt. "One that you can't refuse."

A small smile formed on her face. "What kind of deal?" she asked as she felt his arms wrapped around her.

"One that lasts for the next fifty to sixty years," he answered, a smile of his own forming. "You don't have to do anything except..."  


"What?" Relena whispered.

"All you have to do is..." Heero pulled her even closer to him. He looked down at her uneasy expression. "Love me like I love you."

Relena let out the breath of air that she didn't even know she was holding. The smile on her face grew as she took in his words. She could feel her heart bursting with happiness, and her hands trembled. **_He loved her!_**

"Relena, well, what do you say?" Heero questioned, feeling worried at her silence. What did her smile mean? And her trembling hands?

Relena took a deep breath, and even that trembled. Quietly and as slow as possible, she said, "Tell me you love me again." Heero's eyes widened. "Tell me you love me as much as I love you."

Heero gave her a long, hard, passionate kiss again, completely ignoring the fact that Quatre and Evan were watching them. When he pulled away, he said breathlessly, "I love you." Then he felt a tug on his robe. Heero looked down.

Evan was looking up at them. "What about me?"

Heero laughed out loud and bent down to pick Evan up. The boy wrapped his arms around his neck. "I love you, too, Evan."

"Are we going to be a family now?" Evan asked, cheerfully. He looked at his mom who reached up and placed a hand on his cheek.

Relena nodded, happily. Then she remembered that Quatre was there. With a dismayed gasp, she looked at the man.

"It's okay, Relena. He knows," Heero quickly said to allay her fears. Relena sighed gratefully. "There's no need to pretend anymore."

"Were you pretending?" Quatre questioned with a smile and stood up.

Heero looked carefully at Quatre and then shook his head. "I guess not." He turned back to Relena and Evan. He held them both close to him because he knew now that happiness and innocence were his to kept forever.

Quatre smiled again and walked out. Then Evan remembered something. He asked to be let down and caught up with Quatre.

"Mr. Winner! Wait," Evan said. Quatre stopped and turned around. "I just wanted to say Merry Christmas." Suddenly, Evan heard music float into the foyer. Soft, twinkling music. He looked up at Quatre, wide eyed.

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Evan," Quatre replied. Then leaning down with a mysterious gleam in his eyes, he added softly, "Remember. They're real if you want them to be." With that, he winked and walked away.

Evan just stood there, listening to the music. He turned to see if his mom and Heero heard it. It didn't seem they did. Again, he looked up to Quatre's room. Understanding dawned on him. Then with a big smile he ran back his mom and Heero.

Later that night, the three of them stood on the doorstep, saying goodbye to Quatre. Heero was holding Evan in one arm while another was wrapped around Relena's shoulders. Together they waved at him.

Before Quatre got into the limo, he glanced back. Standing before him under the soft glow of the moonlight were three people who came together to become a family. A cold man who thought he would always be a part of the darkness, a woman who did not believe she could love again, and a young boy who believed in angels. A family through and through. No matter what the circumstances.

THE END

AN: All right!!!! I'm done!! Finally! Oh, my goodness, I started this nearly two years. I'm so slow, but it's done. My first completed fanfic! Thank you to everyone who has continued to read this after all this time. It gives me hope that there are people who enjoy my writing. Hopefully, I'll have another fic coming soon. ^_^


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